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A cousin of theirs, a Levite by the name of Korah, became very jealous
of Aaron in particular, because, as sons of Levi, all of the men in
that family were set apart to serve in the tabernacle of worship.
However, Aaron was given the special position of high priest and had
privileges and honor above the other Levites.
Korah's jealousy consumed him, so he started a conspiracy against
Moses and Aaron. He was able to gain the support of his friends,
Dathan and Abiram, who were not Levites, but were descended from
Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob.
Korah was successful in recruiting two-hundred fifty other Levites to
go with him to Moses and demand that they be given a share in leading
God's people.
Korah brought all of his conspirators with him, and when they stood
before Moses and Aaron they said, "You take too much responsibility
upon yourselves! We also are holy men, and the Lord is with us as well
as with you! Why do you lift yourselves above the rest of us and force
your authority over us?"
When Moses heard the rebels, he fell on his face before the Lord and
prayed for guidance.
Moses answered them and said, "You sons of Levi take too much upon
yourselves! Tomorrow the Lord will demonstrate His power to you, and
He will show you those whom He has chosen to be leaders of the people!
In the morning, bring your censers, the copper shovels you use in the
tabernacle worship service. Fill them with incense and stand here
before Aaron and me. The Lord will show you the men He has called for
special service to Him!"
The following morning, Korah and those who were in agreement with him
stood before Moses. Dathan and Abiram did not accompany them.
Moses spoke to the assembly and said, "Listen to me, you sons of Levi!
Is it of no importance to you that the Lord God of Israel has
separated you from the rest of the congregation and brought you close
to Himself to serve in the tabernacle and minister to His people? Now,
are you demanding that He give you the priesthood as well? Why are you
so critical of Aaron and me? We are just men! You are not rebelling
against us but against the Lord Himself in this matter!"
Then Moses called for Dathan and Abiram, but they refused to come.
They sent word back to Moses saying, "Isn't it enough that you have
brought us to this desert place? You promised to give us fields and
vineyards in a land flowing with abundance! You have not kept your
word; therefore, we will not appear before you to be judged like the
others!"
Moses became very angry and He said to the Lord, "Lord, do not respect
their offerings! I have never taken one cent from them, neither have I
banned them in any way!"
Then Moses turned and spoke to Korah and said, "Return to me again
tomorrow morning with your two-hundred fifty censers filled with fire!
I want to see all of you Levites here, including my brother Aaron!"
All the Levites appeared before Moses the next morning as he had
commanded. As they stood in the doorway of the tabernacle with their
censers, the glory of the Lord appeared in the sight of all the
people.
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and said, "Separate yourselves from
all these people, and I will consume them in a moment!"
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord and pleaded for
the lives of the men. Then Moses spoke to the assembly and said, "If
these rebels die from natural causes or of old age, you may be sure
that the Lord has not sent me to lead you. However, if the Lord opens
the earth to swallow them with their families and all of their
possessions, you shall know that these men have sorely provoked the
Lord!"
Immediately after Moses uttered those words, the ground opened up
under the tents of Dathan and Abiram and also the tent of Korah and
all his household, and they went down alive into the earth. However,
not all of Korah's sons were part of the conspiracy, so they did not
die.
The people who had assembled heard the screams of the people who were
being judged by the Lord, and they scattered from the scene shouting,
"Let's run from this place before we also are swallowed up in the
earthquake!"
After that, the Lord spoke to Eleazer, the son of Aaron, and said to
him, "Take the brass censers from the fire, because they are holy
instruments. Make plates of them and cover the sacrificial altar
outside of the tabernacle, and it shall be a sign unto the Children of
Israel regarding rebellion.
The next day, the people murmured against Moses and Aaron and said,
"You have killed the Lord's people!"
As they were murmuring, they looked toward the tabernacle. A cloud
suddenly covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared!
Moses and Aaron went to the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord spoke
to Moses saying, "Stand apart from these people, and I will destroy
them in a moment!"
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces again before the Lord. Then Moses
turned to Aaron and said to him, "Take a censer from the altar inside
the tabernacle and put incense into it. Then go before the people and
make an atonement for them before they are all destroyed!"
Aaron acted quickly and made an atonement for the people. Some had
already died in the plague, but Aaron stood between the living and the
dead with the censer in his hand and the plague ceased.
In the plague alone, 14,700 died that day, plus those who died with
Korah in his rebellion against the Lord.
HOW COSTLY WAS THE REBELLION AGAINST THE LORD''S DESIGNATED AUTHORITY!
THE END
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