Korah’s RebellionKorah’s Rebellion Num. 16

• Time was ripe for revolt:– Promise Land was reached and denied– 40 years of wandering and dying had begun– The disgruntled masses seek to blame the leader

• Korah was a Levite and the spokesman 1

• Dathan, Abiram, and On were of Reuben 1

• 250 princes of assembly, famous, renown 2– (majority, famous, respected but not right)

Numbers 16:3Numbers 16:3• And they gathered themselves together

against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

The RebelliousThe Rebellious• Pretend devotion to God (holy, renown)

• Pretend to represent all the people (references made to the congregation)

• No courage to come alone against Moses

• Conspiracies develop over a period of time with secret meetings to gain support and identify opposition

Moses was ShockedMoses was Shocked• Num. 12:3 “Now the man Moses was very

meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”

• Ex. 32:9-10 make a new nation from you

• Num. 14:10-12 a second offer from God

• Num. 16:21, 45 God tells Moses to separate himself from the people so He can destroy them. Moses makes an appeal for them.

Reply to Korah and PriestsReply to Korah and Priests• 5-7a God will show who is holy

• 7b “ye take too much upon you…”

• 8-10 God’s given honor was not enough– separated from congregation (Levites)– near to God, tabernacle service (Num. 4:15)– minister to the congregation

• 11 Desire priesthood also (against the Lord, and against Aaron)

Reply to Dathan and AbiramReply to Dathan and Abiram• 12 They refuse to come to Moses

• 13 -14 They level their charges against him– brought us from land of milk and honey (Egypt)

– to kill us in the wilderness (40 years began)

– now you desire to be prince over us?

– failed to bring us into the land of plenty

– put out eyes (literal for rebellion: Jd. 16:21, II Kgs 25:7, too many to punish with blindness)

– (figurative: seek to blind people to your failures)

• 15 Moses was innocent of any abuse

Who Was Holy?Who Was Holy?• 16-19 censers (Ex. 30:7, II Chr. 26:16-19)

• 20-22 God intends to consume the people

• 23-27 Order to separate from the 3 men

• 28-33 Death proves Moses was God’s man (Not die naturally, by enemy, by Moses)

• Num. 26:9-11 tells us Korah’s sons lived

• 34-35 People fled, princes burned to death

• 36-40 censers gather for a memorial

Influence Lives OnInfluence Lives On• 41 But on the morrow all the congregation of

the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

• Chance to support these men before: 26, 34

• 42-45 God again intends to destroy the people

• 46-48 The plague begins and Aaron intercedes

• 49-50 14,700 died from the plague