Numbers 16/17 Bible Study (Korah's Rebellion/Aaron's Staff Buds) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Father, thank you for gathering us as the family of God together. Lord, we know that we all have our own families, and we celebrate Thanksgiving with them. But, Lord, here we are as a family of God in Christ, and we are thankful for your word tonight. Lord, because we know that this is what feeds us and keeps us and sustains us. And, Lord, if there's anybody in here that does not know the saving power of Jesus Christ, even from numbers, Lord, would you reveal yourself in Christ?

And, Lord, save save some, save one, Lord, to add to the family of God. We know that your return is soon. Lord, we know that this Bible study is not just to acquire information, but to know how to live in light of our salvation. And so, Lord, help us. May you speak clearly, Lord, into the hearts of every single one of us in this room.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Numbers chapter 16, we're continuing through the wilderness journey of the Israelites. And what we've learned up to this point is that it's the little things that can change the course of our lives.

Numbers chapter 14 is really the down the beginning of the downhill spiral of the Israelites. And what did it begin with? What did it begin with? It began with complaining. And, oh, how far complaining can take someone if they do not know how to tame it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And now we come to Numbers chapter 16, and we read the first few verses to understand another cycle that they found themselves in. And this time, it was something that might seem so small and hidden, but can, like complaining, become so deadly, and that is envy. Envy as a root of insecurity stemming from a place in which one has placed their identity in something or someone else other than God. And so we see now a division taking place amongst the people of God because they're a group of individuals that were coveting something that didn't belong to them. And just for the sake of reminder, look at verse eight.

When Moses is speaking to Korah, this chapter is known as Korah's rebellion. And look what Moses says. This is such an insightful thing he brings about here. And Moses said to Korah, here now, you sons of Levi. Is it too small a thing for you?

Is it too small a thing? That's where the problem started for the sons of Korah. If you don't remember who the sons of Korah were, they are descendants of Kohath. And Kohath has been given the responsibility in this day of age to transport the tabernacle pieces from spot to spot. That's a that's a hefty duty.

That's a glorious duty. To touch the holy things and transport them? For God to give somebody that that that's a special calling, but they have failed to realize the significance of it, and they saw their task as a small thing. And anytime you and I begin to see what God has given us, the capacity of our ministry or whatever gifting is as a small thing, we are creating a breeding ground for envy, covetousness, insecurity, and there's no end to where that can take us. It's a dangerous cancer to the soul, envy.

Jealousy is bitter. Proverbs tell us that wrath and anger is one thing, but who can stand before jealousy? And so Korah now recruits a gang of people to rebel against not just Moses and Aaron, but specifically Aaron and what he was doing as a priest. We see that. Look at the end here in verse 11.

Look what Moses says. He's kind of figuring it out as they're giving their false accusations. He says, what is Aaron that you grumble against them? He realized that this is really about these guys wanting to be priests. Now we have to remember this.

This is important to frame it. All Levis, anybody that's from Levi, any Levite is not necessarily a priest. So you have Levites who were instructed to work in around the tabernacle, but the sons of Aaron specifically were only to be priests. The rest of the Levites were given the task to assist the priest, but that wasn't good enough for the sons of Korah. They wanted to be the priest themselves.

And they really wanted to be somewhere with the the high priest specifically because look what happens in verse 16. That's where we land off. Now the challenge comes from Moses to the sons of Korah. And Moses said to Korah, be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they and Aaron tomorrow, and let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer. 250 censers, you also and Aaron each his censer.

So here was the challenge. The next day, you guys that really wanna become priests bring your censers before the Lord. Now why why that of all things? What's the idea behind Moses giving this instruction to the sons of Korah? What's the idea of a censer?

What does that have to do with all that we're talking about? Anybody have an idea? Think back. Think back to the the role of a priest. Well, there's only really one place that gives instruction of what the high priest was to do with the censor in Leviticus sixteen twelve.

And what that high priest was to do is once a year on what day? Once a year on the day of atonement, he was to go into the most holy place with a censer and with a coal on it to create a cloud to cover the Ark of the Covenant, lest that priest dies. And so that that sensor belonged only to one man for one day. And that's as though Moses is saying, if you really want to become a high priest, bring your censors, come into the presence of God, and let's see who's God's gonna choose for this task. Here's the thing that we need to understand.

We don't have to fall into the same trap as Korah in the new covenant. Do you know why? Korah wanted that. I I wanna be that high priest that goes into the most holy place. You and I don't have to covet or fall into that sin.

You know why? Because we all have access to the presence of God. We all have the ability to come into the most holy place because Jesus tore the veil. And so you know what that means for all of us? No matter what you do, whether you hold a mic or a broom, you know what that means?

You don't have to fall into this rebellion. I don't have to fall into this rebellion because you and I are all on the same level. We all have access to the presence of God. Is that not our ultimate pursuit? The only way you can find yourself here is if you are pursuing anything other than God.

And so he says, okay. Do you want to be priest? You bring your censors and let's come before the Lord and let's see what the Lord says and let's see who the Lord chooses. So we see in verse 19, then Korah oh, this now it's getting troublesome. Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the glory of the lord appeared to all the congregation.

You don't want to be found in willful disobedience when the glory of God shows up. The glory of the Lord comes. Verse 20. And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, separate yourselves from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment. So the Lord addresses Moses and Aaron, and it seems as though Korah was successful in recruiting the entire congregation to rebel against this authority.

And the Lord says move out of the way. Let me take care of them. It will only take a second. And I and I see something here because when we went back to Numbers chapter 12, we found Aaron under the same indictment with his sister when they criticized Moses and his authority in the past. And the same God that was ready to judge Aaron in that moment was the same God that is now defending him.

Do you see that? The Lord is now in the defense of Aaron. Why? Because Aaron realized he's wrong, and now he's in the right, and God does not hold our past sins against us. That's a beautiful truth.

The Lord doesn't come and say, hey, Erin. Look what you did. Look what you and your sister did. Look at the example that you let. No.

No. No. He doesn't do any of that. He never holds what you've done in the past against you. You know what it says in the scriptures that he will not remember our sins anymore?

Do you think God just erases it from his memory of what you and I have done in the past? Is that what happens when he says in Hebrews that he will not remember our sins anymore when the author is quoting Jeremiah? And your sins will I remember no more. No. It doesn't mean that he forgets.

It means that he chooses not to use it against you. That's what it means. For God to forget means that he loses his omniscience. It's not the case. And that's what forgiveness is for us.

We don't forgive and forget. I know that's a fabulous phrase that we use all the time, but it's not biblical. You can't forget. That's asking something of us that's not possible. But what we do is even though it's been a traumatic experience, we choose not to use that against you.

I choose not to use that against you. You choose not to use that against me. So the Lord here who came to a place with Aaron ready to discipline him is now defending him, not using his past against him. Praise be to God. And so he says, Aaron, Moses, move out of the way.

I can do this. And something happens. Verse 22. And they fell on their faces and said, the amount of times that these men, especially Moses, have done this. Oh God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?

And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, say to the congregation, get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. What do you take out of those verses? Anything that sticks out. There are many things that stick out. Moses and Aaron are clean for forgiveness for these, you know, for them.

Yeah. So if there's one lesson I can take out of this up to this point in Exodus and Numbers, if there's one truth that you and I must understand it's that God is willing to relent in judging a person or a people based on the prayer of one individual. How many times has God relented on judging this people based on one person as a reflex who knew how to fall on his face and get before the Lord on behalf of even those that are rebelling against him as the leader. It is a powerful picture of intercession and the power of it. How how many how many times have we seen this?

And what is that saying to us? Surely, the scriptures wanna teach us something in an indirect manner. That the prayer of a righteous man is surely effective. Surely effective. And I don't understand how this thing prayer works in terms of how when I pray for somebody's salvation or I pray for somebody's wealth.

I don't know how God does that when it comes to his sovereignty and man's free will. But if there's one conclusion I can make from the scriptures when it relates to a man praying for whether it's an unbeliever, a Christian who's backslidden, if there's one truth that we can take out of this, it's this. That when we pray, God is willing to relent and acting in judgment. Think of Abraham and Lot. Think of all the moments in scripture when a person prays that God is willing to answer that prayer by holding back on acting in a way that would be unfortunate for that person.

Keep praying for that family member. Keep praying for your son. Keep praying for your daughter. Keep praying for your siblings. Keep praying for your parents.

You never know what your prayers are doing in terms of God's dealing with them, holding back the powers of hell, of consuming that person and letting them slip into an eternal eternity without Christ. Keep praying. Moses and Aaron dropped to their knees. They come to the place where they cry out to the Lord. And they say, Lord, shall one man sin and all the people pay for it?

Now the whole congregation has been rallied up though, so they are in the wrong. But there is a lesson here in understanding how sin works. Though all of these individuals that are standing against God are in trouble with God, there is a greater responsibility placed upon the person who enticed and tempted those to sin. So the person being tempted is not as much in trouble as a person who was the tempter. This is not an old covenant thing.

This is very much New Testament in Luke seventeen one, where Jesus says, temptation is surely to come, but woe to those from who it comes. It's better that he take a millstone, that's a grinding thing, a rock that grinds things, wrap it around his neck and be thrown into the sea then to cause these little ones to sin. So the idea there is temptation is surely to come, but it is a scary thing if you're the source of that temptation and you are the hook that's bringing somebody into a decision that is contrary to the will of God. And so Korah and his band that started in verse one are under a greater indictment than those who have been recruited. And so they are praying for God to have mercy upon mainly those who have been duped into rebellion.

Look at verse 24. And do you notice a detail? And we talked about it last week, but I wonder if anybody remembers. Look at these names and see if you remember what we talked about briefly last week. Say to the congregation, get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Sandy? Sharia does not mention. There's somebody missing. Right? Look at verse one of 16.

Korah, the son of Levi, Dathan, and Abiram, and who else was there? On, the son of Peleth. Somebody bailed out, and good for him. And he did it way back in verse 12. Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram after he spoke to Korah and on realized something, maybe I got duped into this thing in the beginning.

I got tricked. I got caught up in the gossip, got caught up in this idea of taking over the priesthood, but I'm gonna step out. And guess what the Lord doesn't do? He doesn't hold it against him. And we talked about this last week, that even if that seed of envy is in our heart, if that seed of pride is in there, if that seed of rebellion, we see it in its larva state.

As long as we are willing to deal with it in that moment and not let it act up and bear fruit in our lives, God is willing to be gracious to us. That's what happens here. On steps away. And we don't hear of him or see of him after this moment. It's a beautiful picture of a person coming to their senses, and we're gonna see that even more with a different kind of people.

So what happens here? Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram in verse 25, and the elders of Israel followed him. Ah, so the elders now follow these leaders. The same elders that were anointed of the spirit just a few chapters earlier now come alongside the authority that has been accused falsely. And look what Moses does.

He spoke to the congregation saying, depart, please, in the King James. I pray you from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins. So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Whenever you and I partner with a divisive person or people, it is a guarantee for self destruction. I'll say that one more time.

Whenever you and I partner with a divisive person or people that is intentionally stirring up something to cause a split, to cause a type of uproar, it is a guarantee for self destruction in your spiritual life. Let's go to three John. That little letter right before the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation. The early church had to deal with this. I've said this before, but I'll say it again.

Oftentimes, and I've said it as well, we say, Lord, make us like the book of Acts. We have to ask ourselves, what part? We need to be very specific. I think what we want is the book of Acts before chapter five. Because after chapter five, things get kind of ugly, and we almost think that the early church did not have to deal with issues when in specific moments, they actually had to deal with bigger issues than we're dealing with today.

Just read first Corinthians, and you'll think that's a church. We come to third John, and we see something in which the apostle of love is writing out to and and look here in verse nine. I have written something to the church, but the atrophist, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

So here's this fellow named Theotrophys who is clearly causing trouble, who is clearly trying to dismiss the authority of the apostles, and he seems like he's trying to take lead and call the shots in the place. How does somebody get to that place where they can kick people whoever they want and bring in whoever they want and is speaking wicked nonsense to the rest of the members about the leaders that have preached the gospel to them and planted these churches and appointed elders. It all starts with the description of the atrophist. This is how it all starts. Who likes to put himself first.

In the King James it says who desires preeminence. See if our hearts come to that place, an alarm has to go off. Whenever we desire to be first, whether that's in position, in recognition, in admiration, whatever it is, when we want to be number one in a in in a way where we receive praise and we want that authority in our hands, and God has not given it to us, we have to be careful. Diotrephes is not operating in the spirit of Christ. Diotrephes is operating in the spirit of Satan.

100%. You say how? In Isaiah 14, you don't have to turn there, but in Isaiah 14, there's a little excerpt of a description of Satan's fall in Isaiah 14. And Isaiah fourteen fourteen specifically says, I will ascend to the heavens, and I will be like the most high. So you know what that spirit, Satan, wanted to do?

He wanted to go high. I wanna go as high as I can. I wanna be in the top. I wanna be like God. I wanna come to a place where I sit on God's throne, where people recognize and worship me.

That is the literal opposite spirit in which Christ operated. When you know what Christ said in his description of Philippians two five, that he went low. He became a servant. He went the opposite direction. He humbled himself.

And so Isaiah 14, it shows us the direction that Satan's heart was in. I wanna go as high as possible. I want everyone to see me. I want everyone to recognize. I want every Jesus says, I wanna come as low as possible, so low that I'm gonna take a towel and wipe the feet of dirty men.

And this is what we have to ask ourselves every single day. Lord, what direction does my heart go into? Where is it wanting to go into today? Theotrophist had the unfortunate position here where he was called out by a leader to say, because you wanted to be first, look at the the havoc that you're causing in the assembly. Here's another verse.

Titus chapter 10 excuse me. Verse 10 of chapter three. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him. And I wanna read this because I you can you can almost hear what I just said and say, are you that's kind of heavy for to say that a person who is divisive is destructive. I'm not saying it.

This is Bible language. Titus three ten. Have nothing to do with him. This is this is the same call that Moses is making. Guys, get away from the tents of these men.

Why? Knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he's self condemned. The church is the body of Christ. And for a person to come to the body of Christ and attempt to rip apart the body think of that imagery, to rip apart the body, to remove members from the unified thing that Christ has created, according to God, is warped and self condemned. So Diotrephes was coveting something that was not his.

And even if a person we almost we're almost hearing something like this, and it almost gives a one up for those that are in authority to think that they can lord it over people because of the position that they've been given. Listen. Any spiritual leader in your local church, including this one, has no authority in your personal life. Their authority has been given by God to manage, to watch over, to secure the church, the local church, and give instruction and and exhortation concerning your walk with the Lord. But there is no permission for any spiritual authority to begin to tell you what to do against your will and manipulate you.

No. No. No. That's not what authority is about. Anytime you see authority given in scripture, it's not just leader, it's always servant leader.

Always. They come to serve you, not lord it over you. That's what Peter told the elders in first Peter five. Let's come back to Numbers chapter 16. Get away from the tents.

Verse 27. So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and Dathan and Abiram, now look at their posture. So these guys run, and you would think at this point that these people would be convicted enough to repent. No. It says that they came out and stood at the door of their tents together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.

So everybody else abandoned them, but here's my family, and they are standing in defiance of God's authority saying pretty much with this position, this posture, bring it on. Bring it on. They stood at their tents, and Moses said hereby now Moses is about to give something in which the people of God would not think what's about to happen was by mere coincidence. He's about to lay out a specific scenario in which the people will know that he and Aaron have not exalted themselves to this position of leadership, but God has appointed them to such a call. And so what does he say?

If these guys let's paraphrase. If these guys right here that are rebelling, if they die a natural death, then we've appointed ourselves and we're in the wrong. But look how specific this is, but if the Lord opens up the earth and swallows them, you'll know that we've been called. Now if you are Korah, a Byram, or Dathan, at this point, surely you should be trembling. But no.

They've allowed their hearts to come to such a state in which even a threat such like this does not move them. And you know what? I think at this point, they didn't really have much of a choice because once Moses finishes his sentence, it happened. What does it say here? Verse 29.

If these men die, as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord. Verse 31. As soon as he had finished speaking all these words, it happened. Who are the two men that went to heaven alive?

Elijah. Enoch. Enoch and Elijah. And behold, you have the first people that went to Sheol alive, the sons of Korah. Rather the Korah.

The sons of Korah, we're gonna see what happened to them. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram went to Sheol, the underworld, the grave, alive, and everybody saw it. Everybody witnessed it. So look how it describes in verse 31. The ground under them split apart, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households and all the people who belong to Korah and all their goods.

Literally, everything. So they came to a place where they stood against Moses and Aaron with their families in a posture of pride, and God humbles those who are proud and literally wipes them off the face of the earth without exaggeration, closes the earth, and makes them disappear from the scene. The intensity of this this judgment just shows how much God hates division, I believe, and how much God hates rebellion, and how much God hates a people that are seeking something that's not theirs and began to cause trouble because of it. This chapter does not describe something that we see later on because it says all their households and all their goods. Now you have to go to Numbers chapter 26 to see a little detail that changes the whole course of the story.

Numbers chapter 26. Let's read from verse 10. This is just retelling the story here, and there's one added detail that is so beautiful. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, when the fire devoured two fifty men and they became a warning. Look at verse 11.

But the sons of Korah did not die. What does that mean? We don't see that in Numbers chapter 16. We see it in Numbers chapter 26, and it shines a whole new light on this story. And what's that light?

Mercy, absolutely. Mercy on God's part, wisdom on the sons of Korah part. So that little verse, the sons of Korah did not die, changes how this scene really plays out in our minds. Does it not? Because what I read here in Numbers chapter 16 is the earth splits open, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, all their household, all their goods, it's closed.

Verse 11 tells us that somebody didn't go into Sheol, and that was the sons of Korah. So it repaints the whole scene, and this is the scene. You go back to verse 16 down, specifically verse 25, 26, 27. Moses comes, and he tells the whole congregation, listen. Depart from the dwellings of Korah, Daith, and Abiram.

Get out of here. You don't wanna be a part of this group. You don't wanna be a part of this divisive people. And we see that the whole congregation moves, but you know who else moves? The sons of Korah.

So this is what it looks like. You have Korah, Dathan, and Abiram with their families. And when Moses makes the call, the sons of Korah are looking at their families, looking at Moses, looking at their families, looking at Moses. They look at their dads and say, dads, we love you, but we love God more. And they step away from the dwellings of wickedness.

And perhaps that's what the sons of Korah had in mind in Psalms eighty four ten where it says what? I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. What does that mean in light of this? The house of their own fathers that rebelled against authority. Has a lot more deeper meaning, does it not?

We have that truth generally understand that I'd rather be with with the Lord in his house than to be anywhere else in the world. But let's look at it specifically. I'd rather be with the Lord than with my family. I'd rather be for God and lose everything else, including my dad that raised me up and all the possessions that they blessed us with. That means nothing in light of honoring God.

That's significant. Now we read them, we go, that's that's a great insight, but now feel it. Feel the text. You have sons of a family that walked away and saw their entire household swallowed up by the earth, standing in a place of absolute awe and terror surely. But God bless that.

God bless that. Because I believe based on that one decision, what we see later on in the narrative, specifically with the sons of Korah, is quite astounding. And so as much as this site is so terrifying, as our brother mentioned, we also see the tender mercy of God. I praise God that he does not with take the wickedness or the sinfulness of our past generations and bestowed upon us, even as close as your fathers or mothers that might not be serving God, that might be rebelling against God. He doesn't take what they're doing and pin it against you.

He judges each man according to his own sins. But this act of allegiance to God was honored by God if you read carefully and see what God does with the sons of Korah. So turn your Bibles with me to maybe a place where we would admit, we would kind of skip over genealogy in first Chronicles chapter six. Meet me in first Chronicles chapter six to see something quite astounding. Verse 31.

These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord after the ark rested there. He's about to describe now the worship leaders that have been chosen by David to sing continually in the service of worship and song in the tabernacle. They ministered with song before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order. Now look at this list. These are the men who served and their sons of the sons of the Kohathites.

Heman, the singer of the son of Joel, now look at this, son of Samuel, son of Elkanah. Which Samuel are we speaking of here? Which Samuel are we speaking of here? The prophet who was a descendant of Korah. And so you have God in the days of Hannah and Eli the high priest when there was such apostasy and apathy amongst specifically the spiritual leaders, and God is looking for a prophet.

God is looking for a spokesperson. God is looking for a man that will establish righteousness and justice in the land. And you know who he doesn't bypass because of their history? Korah. He finds a man from the descendant of the sons of Korah and chooses him to be a messenger and representative of him.

And not just that, not just Samuel the prophet. Realize that one of the main people for the worship of the tabernacle was a descendant of Korah. You see that at the end of verse 37. Look at verse 37. See that name there Korah?

Son of Korah? You trace these names back, it all goes back to Korah. And it says specifically in verse 31 that David chose Heman, who was a worship leader, descendant of Korah, to have such an awesome responsibility at the service of the tabernacle. David could have chose whoever he wanted amongst the Levites. He could have ignored Korah and the lineage and the genealogy and the heritage of Korah that he carried.

But, no, he sees Korah, a descendant of him, though it's distant, chooses him. You read later on in second Chronicles, you see that there is a group of Korah, people from Korah, worshiping the Lord. You see in Psalms that 11 Psalms in the Psalter have been written by the sons of Korah, and you think David chose this man to be a leader of the Psalms. I think to myself, why did David choose that? And I don't wanna read too much into David's thoughts.

But perhaps though distant from what we read in number 16, perhaps David had an understanding of the sons of Korah, that they would make great worship leaders. Because at one point in their history, the sons of Korah make a stance for God, that they would rather choose God even over their own blood family, that they would rather choose God than have the security of whatever. They would rather choose God no matter what position that they've been given. And perhaps David said, you know what? They displayed something in contrast to their fathers.

I think they would make great song leaders willing to step out in anything and for anything for the glory and honor of God. Maybe David had that revelation when choosing leaders and choosing servants. Those make the best worshipers whether in song or in any type of service. When those people have already determined in their hearts, take it any take anything away from me, take my own family away from me, I'm still gonna serve him. I'm still gonna love him.

As terrifying as it might be to be separate even from my loved ones, if it's for the Lord I'm gonna do it. Those are the most effective servants of God. Those are the ones that when they when they truly lead and when they truly serve, you know that they're doing it out of a love for God. Maybe David didn't recruit them. Though skill is important, though talent is important, there's something deeper in the sons of Korah, a devotion to God that was rare.

And we see that in the Psalms, do we not? One of the most intimate Psalms, one of the most heartfelt, devoted Psalms concerning relationship to God and sacrifice to God and searching for God is from the sons of Korah. And I believe because it's come from a place in which they've already determined within God is worthy. You give or take away, it doesn't matter. Here's an example in Psalms 46.

You can turn there if you want, but it's so known. I'm sure as I read it, you'll know it. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Now look at the description of this. Maybe, maybe, maybe this is the image that the sons of Korah had, though they weren't there at the time of writing this.

We don't know when it was written, but maybe this image from number 16 came to mind when they wrote Psalms 46, especially in this one line. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way. Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Is it possible that the sons of Korah thought of their history when at one point Korah rebelled and the earth gave way and swallowed them up?

And surely the people, the sons were fearful of such a sight, but they trusted in God who was their refuge and strength. It's a thought. But all those who go to great lengths to show their allegiance and express their devotion to God in spite of all things, they make great worshipers and worship leaders. So we come back to number 16, and we read verse 35. So you have Korah, Dathan, and Abiram swallowed up by the earth, and then you have those 250 chief leaders that came with their sensors.

And what does god do? Well, he dealt with the first ones by letting them go down, and for the second group, he let something come from heaven. And fire came out from the lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense. That shows me one thing in that one verse, that god rejects the worship of those people who are divisive. Thus, they came with their incense, which is a form of worship, and god consumed them in flames because God is not interested in receiving worship from those that are trying to divide his people.

What happens? Verse 36. God takes advantage of this moment. In his mercy, gives instruction for his people concerning generations to come because He knows something about the human nature, that we are bound to repeat the same mistakes that we've made even though it costs very much. So he tells Eliza, listen Eliza, Take those sensors that were consumed with those men and build something with it.

Hammer it out and make a covering, and what this covering will do is it'll be placed upon the altar of burnt sacrifices. And what that will do is continually remind the people of what happened in this day for the rest of the wilderness journey and the rest of time. That's what it says in verse 40. Look at verse 40. To be a reminder to the people of Israel so that no outsider who is not of the descendants of Aaron should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company as the Lord said to him through Moses.

In order to preserve the purity and the holiness of my people, Again, the people are in need of another visual aid. The first one we read in numbers 15 was what? These tassels that will remind them of the commandments of God. Now he brings this golden plate thing, this covering for the for the burnt offering altar, and he says, they're gonna see that and they're gonna remember. Now how much more will the people who were Kohathites remember as they carry that thing?

Remember, they were instructed to carry the furniture, and so they would remember as they carry that thing. Oh, gosh. We're gonna stick to this responsibility and be thankful for it. To be a reminder, you know what God's wisdom is in preserving your holiness and mine and longevity? To not just learn from our own failures, but to learn from the failures of others.

That's wisdom. Wisdom does not just express itself when I realize my failures and learn from them. Wisdom goes beyond that. Wisdom looks at other people who have fallen, not in judgment, not in criticism, not in self righteousness, but realizes, like Galatians six:one says, that if your brother falls, don't be careful lest you two be tempted by the same temptation. When you see someone fall, when you see something happen in another person's life, learn from their failures and ask God in prayer, ask God in wisdom to protect you from such such a thing yourself.

That's what he's doing. This is God's wisdom. You need to be reminded, people of Israel, that you don't fall into the same trap because I know the human heart more than you do. So God is acting in mercy by giving this out. And you would think, okay.

We're we're ready to move. Israel, you're ready to move. We're ready to go. We can move on here. Let's learn from our mistakes.

Let's not do that. Let's be content in what God's given us. Happy Thanksgiving, verse 41. But on the next day, you have got to be kidding me. You have got to be kidding me.

But on the next day, all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron saying, you have killed the people of the Lord. Like not even two days. Not even a week. The conference high didn't even last twenty four hours. And what a conference that was.

That would be an interesting conference when the earth swallows up some people. Go back and see here in verse 34, and I wonder why that wasn't preserved till the next day. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, lest the earth swallow us up. So the earth swallows up these men and their families, and you know what the people do? They scatter and scream at the top of their lungs, lest the earth swallows up.

And And then the next day they go, You kill the people of the Lord. That tells you and I something about the human heart, that no matter how wonderful, unfortunately, even terrifying God displays His majesty and His glory, It takes a supernatural transformation of the human heart to bring a true change. One day, man, and you're accusing, and you've identified them wrongly. The people of the Lord, we're gonna find out that He calls them rebels. God calls these men rebels and they identify you killed the people of the Lord.

And you're accusing the true people of God who are acting like it as leads. You have killed the people of the Lord. What happens? When the congregation has assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turn towards the tent of meeting and behold, here we go. The cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.

And what happens? Verse 45. The Lord says, get away from the midst of this congregation that I may consume them in a moment. And the Lord meant it. They fell on their faces, and Moses knew that something had broken out.

A plague had broken out. And so intense was this plague. Look at the language. He tells Aaron to do what? To quickly go.

Grab an incense to go into the midst of the camp to make atonement for the people. The plague has begun at the end of verse 46. And how does Aaron react? Aaron took it, as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly, and the plague had already begun among the people. I believe that this happened in a matter of seconds.

That by the time the Lord said this was gonna happen and by the time he got Aaron to run into the midst of the camp, it was a matter of seconds, very few minutes the most. And you know what happened in a matter of that short time frame? Look how many people died. Verse 49. Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred.

The Lord really meant in a moment. Just a matter of few seconds, he would he just almost fifteen thousand people were wiped off by a plague. You know what Aaron does? He runs in grace and mercy to make atonement for the people. He does not wait a moment.

He does it as quick as possible. And he comes to a place where he stands in the gap for these people, and God sees his act and he honors it. And the people were spared. Then we come to chapter 17 as we close. God has to teach his people again.

So what does he do? We're not gonna read it, but I'll explain it. He says, this is what's gonna happen. In order for you to realize that I've truly chosen Moses and Aaron, you take a staff from each of your tribesmen. Every leader bring a staff from every tribe.

And when it comes to you bringing those staffs, write the name of the chief on that staff. Aaron's name is gonna be written on the staff dedicated to Levi. And when you bring it, lay them all before the tent of meeting, lay it all before the the testimony, and what happens? I'm going to show you through this that when I make a specific staff bud, it will be the signal, it will be the sign that I've chosen this person to be high priest and for his descendants to be priests. And so what happens in verse eight?

On the next day, Moses went into the tent of testimony. Behold, the staff of Aaron and the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bore almonds. So what happens? He chooses to teach him in this way, look at the staffs. And they bring their staffs to the men, each of them hold it, and they realize, okay, I'm not supposed to be the priest.

God will defend your ministry if you're truly called by God. If you've truly been called to a specific thing, you don't need to defend yourself. God will make it known to others that he has called you to a specific task. And if God has not called you to a specific task and you attempt to go into that lane, fruitfulness will not come out of it. Ask the Lord to give you the grace to understand that your identity is not in this ministry, but that he's called you to it nonetheless and to stay in that lane and fruit will come out of it.

It's better for fruit to come out of the ministry that God's called you to than out of weird insecurities or whatever's going on to step into another lane, not experience fruit. And this is the miracle that it didn't just bud, but it fully blossomed. It went through all the stages overnight, and almonds came out of it. They brought it to the men, and he says put it in the ark of the testimony, put it in the ark of the covenant, for what reason? As a sign for the rebels that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, this is verse 10, lest they die.

Thus Moses did, and the lord commanded him, so he did. Take that staff, and it's added. So what items do we have in the ark of the covenant up to this point? The staff. The staff?

The tablets. And manna. And manna. Three things. Three things.

Now if there's any other picture that we can get out of this, it is the power of the living God. How? Because he took these dead branches, which were staffs, and he brought life to something that was dead. He made something as though it was connected to a life source, though it was not. This staff that was dried up many, many months ago is now something that is blossoming and fruitful and fragrant.

It speaks of resurrection power that God can bestow. And listen, as amazing as it is that he did it with a stick, you know what it is in the new covenant? You and me. That God takes you and I who are dead in our trespasses and sins, and what does he do? He infuses life so that what was known as dead to me and to the world, to you and to the world, now produces life produces life.

And we need to know how to tap into that resurrection power, and it's flooded throughout the New Testament. That stick did not produce anything on its own to produce fruit. It relied completely on God. You and I need to do the same. And the devil would love to rob that revelation from you and I more than anything.

Do you know how? He did it even in a subtle way. You say how? Turn to first Kings chapter eight. First Kings chapter eight.

This is when the temple built by Solomon was dedicated, and they had brought in the Ark of the Covenant. And when they brought in the ark of the covenant, there's a little commentary on what happened to these elements that we just confessed were in the ark. Look with me here in verse nine. Let's go to verse seven. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark of its pole and its poles.

And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary that they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. Verse nine. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there with the people at Horeb where the Lord had made a covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. So after this place in Israel's history, something had happened to two of those items.

The manna was removed and so was the the staff by Aaron that was butted. And the only thing that was left there was the law. How did that happen? Many speculations, I believe this part, that something happened between the days of first Samuel chapter one, two, and three where Eli was the high priest and the Philistines came in and took the ark and was brought back by David under his reign, something happened in that time and I believe that the Philistines removed it. Because that's the only explanation.

They were there before the Philistines took it and then once the Philistines removed it and then brought it back this is speculation. This isn't dogmatic, but it's a it's a thought that when they brought it back, it's not there anymore. When Solomon was dedicating the temple, it's commentary. The only thing that's left there is the law. The enemy took manna, and the enemy took the rod and left the law of all things.

Because the enemy would love to rub the law in our face to show us how we do fall short. God does that, yes, to show us that we need the gospel. But you know what he removed? The rod that speaks of power. The rod that speaks of how God can change something that's dead and bring it to life.

And he does the same today with so many people, to do everything in your own strength and mine, and to attempt to keep God's commandments without that power, and to do it in our own strength. You will experience true misery. I will experience true misery when we fail to realize that what God has given us was intended to be obeyed with his power, with his grace, with his assistance, that his commitments are not burdensome only when we know to rely upon him to walk it out. And that's what we need to do. It's a second thought to this main thought that up to this point now in numbers, things have calmed down in relationship to the authority that God has established for the people of Israel.

So many things can be pulled out of this study, but we'll conclude it with this thought going back to the sons of Korah. What a wonderful thing that God has given us through these men who have come to a place where they realize just think about it. I'm sure they did not think in their minds when they step back from their families, oh, God's gonna really use me now. I'm sure that they're gonna run through their minds that God is gonna give me a specific assignment down in history through my general. I'm sure that did not come.

In fact, God did not say anything, he said it with the levites when they when they step back in exodus thirty two, he says. Now I'm gonna use you. I'm gonna use you as priest. He doesn't say anything to the sons of Korah. It just came down the road, which says something about sons of Korah to some degree.

That in that moment, they just they just wanted to make a statement to the Lord. I want you above all else. I choose to obey you even if it costs me my family. It's a beautiful thought and it's something that we should really meditate upon. And as we end with the idea of Korah and the sons of Korah, let's ask the Lord to be able to confidently say, I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God.

I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God. Better is one day in your courts and a thousand elsewhere. That is coming from a that's not coming from just any lip. That's coming from a descendant of someone who actually lived it and actually paid the price for it. And true ministry with its authenticity and effectiveness comes from a place where it's lived out and not just said.

May we get there by the grace of God, by his power, not our own. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word. And God, our hearts come alive at the revelation of the scriptures when we realize, Lord, that you are speaking loud and clear even from numbers. And Lord, this is our heart's desire to express our allegiance to you at whatever cost, Lord.

And Lord, we wanna do that even now. Thank you for your tender mercies. Thank you that with the same Aaron that you were ready to discipline, you defended. Thank you that with the sons of Korah, though their heritage in their fathers did not exemplify true devotion to God, you rewrote their story. Thank you that we have resurrection power, that you can take any deadness in our lives and bring it to life in Christ.

Lord, we worship you in light of this. In your name we pray. Amen.