And Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, made bold, and [with him] Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, the sons of Reuben;
Numbers 16 opens with a list of names and a family line. That detail matters. The men behind this revolt were insiders, holding some of the highest privileges in Israel. So the verse raises the question the chapter goes on to answer. Why does a man who already stands near God reach for a place God never gave him?
Earlier chapters record grumbling and unbelief. This chapter records something organised, dressed in words no one could object to.
After such comforting thoughts as these, something still more terrible than ever comes out in Numbers 16. It is not complaint now, or murmuring. It is not just unbelief because the wilderness was hard. It is not even a bad report about God's gift and choice in the land. There is a conspiracy under the fairest pretensions possible. This does not make matters better. The basest things sometimes put on the most religious guise. The sound of it should fool no one. Some of these men belonged to the class that served the sanctuary; others were chief men in the congregation — what people today would call leading men in church and state.
The verse traces Korah's line in full: Izhar, Kohath, Levi. Dathan and Abiram come from another tribe, with a grievance of their own.
Korah was a Kohathite. That put him in the most distinguished group of the Levites, short of being a priest. Dathan and Abiram came from Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob. Reuben's sin cost him the leadership that belonged by nature to the firstborn. So these men no doubt felt they had a grievance.
Reuben's loss is not just family history. It follows a pattern that runs through Scripture.
Dathan and Abiram belonged to the tribe of Reuben. As the firstborn, Reuben would naturally have had the leadership. But here, as so often in Scripture, the natural — the firstborn — must give place to the spiritual, the new-born.
Korah's place was a gift from God. That gift became the ground of his discontent.
Unbelief shows itself constantly in this very form. If God puts an honour on a man, and the man does not receive it as coming from Him, the honour only becomes a stepping stone. He uses it to despise the God who gave it, while grasping after what He has never given. Nothing produces such dissatisfaction as a heart that fails to value what God has given it.
The verse names men from two tribes. Commentators point out that the two groups wanted different things.
Numbers 16 contains the open rebellion of Dathan and Abiram against Moses. Above all it contains the claim of the ministry in Israel to take priesthood to itself... Korah drew others in by flattering them, but his aim was to take hold of official priesthood. What Dathan and Abiram raised was a side question: the authority of Moses, and the word of God through him. Their judgment was a thing apart.
God called Moses and Aaron to the places they held.
Korah and his company, therefore, were quarrelling with God and not with Moses and Aaron. God had called these two to hold a certain position and to do a certain work, and it would be terrible for them if they refused... This is always the way with those who promote division or discontent. Their real object is to make themselves somebody. They talk loudly and very convincingly about the common rights and privileges of God's people. But in reality they are aiming at a position they are in no way qualified for.
One writer reads this old story as a live warning for anyone who claims a priestly place above other believers.
It is a solemn thing for ministers who profess Christ and claim a priestly place to weigh the warning of Jude 11, in case they perish in the rebellion of Korah. His sin, so ruinous to himself and his followers, was proud discontent with Levite service and an irreverent claim to the priesthood... Christian ministry is the exercise of a gift from the Lord, given to some for the good of all. But all saints are priests, made free equally of the true sanctuary. Some seize this nearness to God beyond, and in denial of, what grace has given to all the saints. Without knowing it, they misunderstand and cancel a prime blessing of Christianity.
- Place given. Korah held the highest Levite service short of priesthood. Dathan and Abiram came from the tribe that lost the firstborn's leadership. Every man named in this verse starts from a place God assigned.
- Place despised. An honour from God became a stepping stone for despising the Giver. The rebels grasped instead at what He never gave.
- Place disguised. The revolt came with the fairest excuses possible. The basest things sometimes put on the most religious dress.
- Place seized. The heart of the sin was ministry reaching for priesthood. Dathan and Abiram's attack on Moses' authority was a separate matter, judged on its own.
- Place still contested. Jude 11 makes this a warning to anyone who claims priestly nearness above others. All saints alike are priests in the true sanctuary.
and they rose up against Moses, with two hundred and fifty men of the children of Israel, princes of the assembly, summoned to the council, men of renown;
Numbers 16:2 shows a revolt gathering weight: Korah does not act alone, but brings 250 recognised leaders with him. Why would men this respected rise up against Moses and Aaron, when it was God who gave them their place?
These were not fringe figures. They came from Israel's most honoured circles.
There is a conspiracy here under the fairest pretensions possible. The basest things sometimes put on the most pious disguise. No one should be deceived by the sound of things. The men who did this were by no means the sort we would have expected to rebel against Jehovah. Korah belonged to the most honourable group among those who had the direct service of the sanctuary. Dathan, Abiram and On came from Reuben. So some of them belonged to the ministering class, and others were chief men in the congregation — the sort people today would call leading men in church and state.
Two of the ringleaders had a family reason to feel slighted.
Dathan and Abiram came from Reuben, Jacob's eldest son. Reuben lost the leadership that belonged naturally to the firstborn, because of his sin. So they doubtless felt they had a grievance.
The verse piles titles on these men — chiefs, chosen from the assembly, well known. That weight of reputation made the moment dangerous.
The rebellion is attributed to Korah, since he was the religious leader in it. He seems to have had enough influence to gather a large number of influential men around him — "princes, famous men, and men of renown." In short, this was a very formidable and serious rebellion. We shall do well to look at its source and moral features closely.
Their rank is what emboldened them. Their claims reached even to the censer, the pan used to burn incense before God.
They were princes, great men, and so they had rights that Jehovah should not dispute — at least, that is what they dreamed. And great men in the world do claim, in astonishing ways, rights even to the censer — rights that in reality belong only to the Great High Priest in heaven.
The 250 did not invent this grievance. One restless leader shaped discontent that was already there.
Every assembly holds material that can be worked on. It only takes some restless master spirit to rise up, work on that material, and fan the fire smouldering in secret into a devouring flame. Once the flag of revolt is raised, hundreds and thousands are ready to flock around it — people who have neither the vigour nor the courage to raise it themselves.
Korah already held a high place from God. That was the problem.
Unbelief shows itself constantly in this very form. Suppose God puts an honour on a man, and the man does not receive it as from Him. Then the honour becomes only a stepping stone for despising the God who gave it, while he grasps after what God has never given. Nothing causes such dissatisfaction as a heart that fails to value what God has given us.
Moses and Aaron had not applied for their posts. So the attack passed straight through them.
Korah and his company, therefore, were quarrelling with God and not with Moses and Aaron. God had called these two to take a certain place and do a certain work, and woe to them if they refused. They had not aimed at the position or taken up the work themselves. God ordained them. That should have settled the question. It would have settled it for everyone except restless, self-absorbed rebels, who wanted to undermine God's true servants and so exalt themselves.
This rebellion is not only Israel's history.
- Appointed: Moses and Aaron never sought their places. God ordained them, so opposing them meant opposing God.
- Appointment despised: Korah held the highest place of service at the sanctuary. He used that honour as a stepping stone towards what God never gave him.
- Appointment envied: Dathan and Abiram came from Reuben. He was the firstborn who lost his leading place through sin, so they nursed a grievance.
- Appointment outvoted: 250 well-known chiefs made the revolt look respectable. Reputation stood massed against God's choice.
- Appointment final: the censer belongs to the Great High Priest alone. Jude names this rebellion as the path that ends in ruin.
and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, It is enough; for all the assembly, all of them are holy, and Jehovah is among them; and why do ye lift up yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah?
Korah and his company confront Moses and Aaron with a charge that sounds like a defence of the whole people. Their words are religious and the men are respected. So the question is whether the charge is true, and what these men really wanted.
This uprising is not like the earlier grumbling in the wilderness. Its language is polished, and the men behind it hold high place.
There is a conspiracy under the fairest pretensions possible. The basest things sometimes put on the most pious appearance. No one should be deceived by the sound of words. The Christian is meant to judge things according to God. The men who did this were not at all the sort we would have thought most likely to join themselves rebelliously against the Lord. Korah came from Levi — the most honourable portion among those who had the direct service of the sanctuary. Dathan, Abiram, and On came from Reuben. So there were those who belonged to the ministering class, and those who were chief men in the congregation — what people today would call leading men in church and state.
Every word about the people's holiness and God's presence was true. The error was in the conclusion they drew from it.
It was quite true that all the people were "holy". That is, they were a people that God had set apart for Himself. Yet in practice they were constantly denying that fact. It was true that the Lord was among them, as the people were very quickly to see in the judgment that followed. They did not realise that in challenging the leaders whom God had chosen, they were challenging God, who had chosen them.
The accusation of self-promotion collapses the moment Moses' own record is examined.
"You take too much upon you." Such was their charge against "the meekest man in all the earth." But what had Moses taken upon him? The briefest glance back over the history of that dear and honoured servant would convince any impartial person otherwise. Far from taking dignity and responsibility upon himself, he had shown himself only too ready to shrink from these things when they were offered. When they were laid on him, he sank under them.
One protest was made, but commentators see two different aims inside it.
Numbers 16 contains the open rebellion of Dathan and Abiram against Moses. Even more, it contains the claim of the ministry in Israel to take the priesthood for itself. The New Testament calls it the rebellion of Korah. He is the first man Moses addresses. The main point of the sin, as Moses presses it, was this taking too much upon them by the sons of Levi. Dathan and Abiram raised a side question about Moses' authority; Korah's claim of priesthood was bound up with open rebellion against God.
Levelling everyone to the same nearness sounds generous, yet Moses fell on his face at it.
With this "fair show" of piety, were they not claiming equal priestly privileges for all, and was not this right? But it filled Moses with horror, and he fell on his face. He saw that it was not only a refusal of Aaron. It also denied that, as a sinful people, they could stand before God only through the priest who offered the sacrifice.
Korah already had a place of honour near the sanctuary. That is what made his reach for more so serious.
Unbelief constantly shows itself in this very form. If God puts an honour on a man, and he does not receive it as from Him, that honour becomes only a stepping stone. The man despises the God who gave it, while grasping after what He has never given. Nothing produces such dissatisfaction as a heart that fails to value what God has allotted to us.
Commentators apply the argument in two directions. The first runs toward a teaching heard widely today.
Since all are holy, all are His congregation, and therefore all may approach Him; why then one high priest? ... Many pulpits and platforms teach that all men are holy in themselves. So, they say, all have the right to draw near to God with no need of the One High Priest, Christ Jesus. Yet only through Him, and only through His propitiation, is that access obtained.
The other runs the opposite way — toward a separate priestly class.
Let the reader note this carefully. To aim at any form of priesthood other than the Christian priesthood is, in principle, the sin of Korah. So is taking up any other priestly function. So is setting up a priestly class — men who act on behalf of their fellows, or carry out priestly service for them before God.
- Sound: The plea sounded pious and came from respected men — yet the sound of words proves nothing.
- Truth: Every statement in it was accurate; the people were set apart and the Lord was among them.
- Twist: The true words were bent into a challenge of the leaders God had chosen, which is a challenge to God.
- Aim: Behind the talk of shared holiness lay Korah's reach for the priesthood. It denied the one ground on which sinful people can stand before God.
- Root: Honour taken from God's hand keeps a man content. Honour he fails to value becomes a stepping stone to grasping at what God never gave.
When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.
Numbers 16 opens with a rebellion dressed in religious language. Korah and his company accuse Moses and Aaron of lifting themselves above a people who are all holy. Verse 4 gives the whole of Moses' first answer — he says nothing, and goes face down on the ground.
Moses answered the rebels without a word. One writer explains why a servant of God can afford to stay quiet when attacked.
Moses was the man they had gathered against. When he heard their rebellious words, "he fell on his face." This was a very good way to meet rebels. We have seen this beloved servant of God on his face when he ought to have been on his feet (Ex. 14). But here it was about the best and safest thing he could do. There is never much use in arguing with restless and discontented people. It is far better to leave them in the Lord's hands, for their quarrel is really with Him. If God sets a man in a certain position and gives him a certain work to do, his fellows may think it right to quarrel with him simply because he is doing that work and filling that position. Then their quarrel is really with God. He knows how to settle it, and will do it in His own way.
The same writer says the right way to meet such attacks is "to take the place of complete lowliness and nothingness, and let the wave of discontent roll over you."
Korah's slogan sounded generous — everyone is holy, so everyone may come near. Moses fell down because he heard what lay underneath it.
Korah and his company had disowned Aaron as the priest of God by claiming equal holiness and nearness for all Israel: "You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" With this fine show of piety, were they not claiming equal priestly privileges for all? Was this not right? But it filled Moses with horror, and he fell on his face. He saw that this refused not only Aaron. It also refused the truth that a sinful people could have no standing before God at all, except through the priest who offered the sacrifice.
What Moses says next hands the whole dispute to a court he does not control.
This was placing the matter in the proper hands. Moses gives great prominence to the sovereign rights of Jehovah. "The LORD will show" and "the LORD will choose." There is not a syllable about himself or Aaron. The whole question hinges on the Lord's choice and the Lord's appointment... Obviously it would have been no use for Moses and Aaron to try to give judgment. They were the defendants in the case.
Another writer sees here a pattern for our own troubles.
But in the face of such opposition we see the beautiful faith and dependence of Moses. "He fell on his face" (v. 4). Should we not do the same when trouble arises? Instead of arguing he prays. So God at once gives him the insight to know what to do.
One writer traces the pride behind the revolt to its source, and shows what it produced in Moses.
It is a good thing when the haughtiness that Satan knows so well how to stir up brings out nothing but lowliness and humbling of our souls before God. Haughtiness tends to provoke haughtiness, and flesh to irritate flesh; but it was not so with Moses.
Moses could have asked for judgment on the spot. He set the test a day away.
As at so many other times, he falls on his face (while Korah exalts himself) and leaves the decision to God, saying, "Tomorrow morning the LORD will show... whom He chooses" (v. 5). On the one hand, Moses relies on God's decision to confirm the position He has given to each one. On the other hand, he waits until "tomorrow." Serious as the situation is, he does not want to rush. He would rather allow Korah and those with him enough time to repent.
- Attack. Korah's protest sounded like a plea for everyone's rights. It was really a refusal of the priest — the only way a sinful people could come to God.
- Prostration. Moses met the charge by going down on his face. That takes the servant out of the argument and lets the wave of discontent roll over him.
- Silence. Arguing with discontented people achieves little. Their quarrel is with the God who gave the position, not with the man who fills it.
- Referral. His reply says not a syllable about himself. He hands the case to God: "the LORD will show" and "the LORD will choose." In that court Moses is a defendant, not the judge.
- Delay. Setting the test for tomorrow, with the crisis at its height, left the rebels a night in which to repent.
And he spoke to Korah and to all his band, saying, Even to-morrow will Jehovah make known who is his, and who is holy; and he will cause him to come near to him; and him whom he has chosen, him will he cause to come near to him.
Korah, a Levite, gathered 250 leaders against Moses and Aaron. Their claim was that the whole congregation was holy, so no one had the right to stand above it. Moses does not argue. He sets an appointment. In the morning God Himself will settle who belongs to Him, who is holy, and who may come near.
Before Moses says a word, he drops to the ground. One writer links his prayer to the answer that follows:
In the face of such opposition we see the faith and dependence of Moses. "He fell on his face" (v.4). Should we not do the same when trouble arises? Instead of arguing he prays. So God at once gives him the insight to know what to do. He calmly tells the hostile company, "Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His and who is holy" (v.5). It is precious to wait on the Lord!
Another writer points out that such a quarrel is not really aimed at the servant at all:
Suppose God sets a man in a certain position and gives him a certain work to do. Suppose others quarrel with him simply because he does that work and fills that position. Their quarrel is really with God, who knows how to settle it, and will do it in His own way. Being sure of this gives the Lord's servant a holy calm, and lifts him above envious and restless spirits when they rise up against him.
Notice whose name is missing from the answer. Moses, the accused, refuses to be the judge:
This put the matter into the right hands. Moses gives great prominence to the sovereign rights of the Lord. "The Lord will show" and "The Lord will choose." There is not a word about himself or Aaron. The whole question hangs on the Lord's choice and the Lord's appointment. The 250 rebels are set face to face with the living God, so that the whole matter may be gone into and settled before a court from which there is no appeal. It would have been no use for Moses and Aaron to give the judgement, since they were the defendants in the case.
Some translations render "in the morning" here as "tomorrow." The delay is deliberate, and one writer sees mercy in it:
On the one hand, Moses leaves it to God to confirm the position He has given to each one. On the other hand, he waits until "tomorrow." He does not want to act in haste, even though the situation is serious. He would rather give Korah and those with him enough time to repent.
Being His, being holy, being brought near — all three depend on God's choice. God had already given Korah a place, which is what makes his grasping so strange:
Unbelief shows itself again and again in this very form. God gives a man an honour. The man does not receive it as from God, so it becomes only a stepping stone for despising the God who gave it, while he grasps after what God has never given him. Nothing breeds dissatisfaction like a heart that fails to value what God has given it. His will alone secures real joy and strength, and good results for the glory of the Lord. These men were not satisfied with their position, either as leaders of the congregation or as Levites. They wanted to be like Aaron and Moses.
Korah's public argument was about everyone's rights. Moses' reply exposes a private ambition underneath it:
At first glance it might not look as though Korah was seeking anything for himself. He seemed to be standing up for the rights of the whole assembly. But Moses, by the Spirit of God, unmasks him. Under the fine-sounding excuse of defending the common rights of the congregation, he was boldly seeking the priesthood for himself. Loud talkers about the liberties, rights, and privileges of God's people are usually seeking their own advancement and advantage. This is not always obvious, but God is sure to bring it to light sooner or later.
One writer sees this verse behind Paul's words to Timothy:
The two-part seal of 2 Timothy 2:19 is almost certainly a reference to Numbers 16:5, 26, and we would do well to read that incident here as an illustration. The two principles are clear and distinct. First, God is sovereign in His mercy and His actions, so He always knows and finally rescues those who are His. Second, man is still responsible, so everyone who acknowledges the Lord with his lips is under a solemn obligation to depart from iniquity. The Christian must never share in evil of any kind, from the least to the greatest.
- Chosen — everything turns on the Lord's choice. Moses says nothing about himself or Aaron.
- Given — nearness and holiness are honours God gives. To despise His gift and grab at what He never gave is unbelief.
- Unmasked — loud talk about everyone's rights can hide a man seeking a place for himself. God brings it to light sooner or later.
- Waited for — Moses falls on his face and prays instead of arguing. He sets the test for the morning, leaving room for repentance.
- Sealed — one writer reads verses 5 and 26 in the seal of 2 Timothy 2:19. The Lord knows His own, and everyone who names His name must depart from iniquity.
This do take you censers, Korah, and all his band,
Korah and 250 leaders had challenged Moses and Aaron over who may serve God as priest. Moses answers not with an argument but with a test: the men who want priestly work must bring censers before the Lord, who will settle who is holy.
Moses names no judge but the Lord, and leaves himself out of the verdict:
This was placing the matter in the proper hands. Moses gives great prominence to the sovereign rights of the Lord. "The Lord will show" and "The Lord will choose." There is not a syllable about himself or Aaron. The two hundred and fifty rebels are brought face to face with the living God. They are summoned into His presence, with their censers in their hands. There the whole matter can be fully gone into and settled, before that great court from which there can be no appeal. It would have been no use for Moses and Aaron to try to give judgment, since they were defendants in the case.
That calm instruction came out of prayer rather than debate. Moses had first fallen on his face:
But in the face of such opposition we see the faith and dependence of Moses. "He fell on his face" (v.4). Should we not do the same when trouble arises? Instead of arguing he prays. So God at once gives him the insight to know what to do.
The Lord's test uses the priest's own equipment:
A small vessel made of metal, to hold burning coals from the altar, on which incense was sprinkled by the priest, so that a cloud of incense might rise from it. The same word is used when Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their company were put to the test; those censers were probably made in a hurry, since 250 were needed.
Moses hands them the very thing they were reaching for. Commentators see wisdom in that:
It is always well, when people are seeking a place, to let them have it, to their heart's content; for most certainly the very place they have foolishly aspired to will be the scene of their clear defeat and terrible confusion. You may sometimes see men envying others in a certain sphere of service, and longing to occupy that sphere themselves. Let them try it; and they are sure, in the end, to break down and retire covered with shame.
The Lord's choice, not Korah's claim, decides who is holy. Priestly honour comes only by call:
As to the appointment of the earthly priest, "No one takes this honour for himself, but only when he is called by God, just as Aaron was." Here again there is a likeness to the priesthood of Christ. No one can truly take the place of priest, in any sense of the word, who is not called of God. Ignoring this great truth is deadly serious. The judgment that fell on Korah and those with him shows it. They sought to establish themselves in the priesthood without being called by God.
Korah already had God-given work. The priesthood was the one line he could not cross:
Korah did not aim at being a minister, for that he was. He aimed at being a priest, which he could not be. God gave the priesthood to Aaron and his family. Anyone else who tried to offer sacrifice, or do any other priestly work, was boldly seizing what was not his. Now Aaron was a type of our great High Priest who has passed into the heavens — Jesus the Son of God... There is no such thing as a priest on earth now, except in the sense in which all believers are priests.
Jude names three failures from the past, and Korah's is the last:
In the letter of Jude the beginning, the way, and the end are perfectly set before us. "The way of Cain" is the great departure at the beginning of this world's moral history. There brother killed brother, jealous of his acceptance with God... "The error of Balaam" is turning the name of God into a means of earthly honour and gain. The last one we have here is "Korah's rebellion," and here those who depart from God perish. This is not merely the selfish twisting of the truth into a way of getting ahead, bad as that was. It is open, deliberate rebellion against the rights of Christ Himself.
- Chosen, not self-appointed. The verse turns on the Lord's choice: no one takes the honour for himself.
- Chosen, so Moses steps aside. Since the choice is God's, Moses prays instead of arguing and leaves the verdict to Him.
- Chosen, so the test is granted. Moses hands over the censers. The place a man grasps at without a call becomes the place of his defeat.
- Chosen for service, not for everything. Korah had real God-given work. His ruin was reaching past it for a priesthood he was never given.
- Chosen — and the choice fell on Christ. Aaron pictures the High Priest now in heaven. Every believer is a priest, but no one on earth holds Aaron's place; Jude points back to Korah's rebellion as the warning.
and put fire therein, and lay incense thereon before Jehovah to-morrow; and it shall be that the man whom Jehovah doth choose, he shall be holy. It is enough, ye sons of Levi!
Korah, a Levite, and 250 leaders rose up against Moses and Aaron, reaching for the priesthood. Moses did not argue back. He set a test for the next day: take censers, and let God Himself show who is holy.
Moses names no defender of his own. His answer turns on what God will do.
This was placing the matter in the proper hands. Moses gives great prominence to the sovereign rights of Jehovah. "The Lord will show" and "The Lord will choose." There is not a syllable about himself or Aaron. The whole question hinges upon the Lord's choice and the Lord's appointment. The two hundred and fifty rebels are brought face to face with the living God. Of course, it would have been useless for Moses and Aaron to judge the case, since they were the defendants. But Moses was glad to have all parties summoned into God's presence, so their case could be judged and settled there.
The test was not a vote or a debate. The men had to do in public the one thing only a priest could do.
For the second time, as verse 4 tells us, Moses met the situation by falling on his face — standing aside for God to act. Yet he knew what God would do, as we see in verses 5-7. Korah and his company would get their answer from God Himself the next day. They were to take censers with fire and incense, and present themselves at the door of the tabernacle, as though they were priests.
The verse does not say the holy man will be chosen; it says the chosen man will be holy. Priesthood is a call received, never a rank seized.
Further, he says, "No one takes this honor for himself, but only when he is called by God, just as Aaron was." God called Aaron. Korah rebelled with his company. He lifted himself up against Moses, and against Aaron the priest. What was the result? They were summoned before the sanctuary, every man with his censer. These men wanted to push their way into the high priest's office. As they drew near, fire from God's holy presence comes out and destroys them. Korah and his companions are witnesses that no one could force a way into the priestly office — only those whom God called.
The rebuke names them "sons of Levi". These men already held an honour from God, and that very honour fed their reaching for more.
Unbelief shows itself constantly in this very form. God may put an honour on a man, and the man may not receive it as from Him. Then the honour becomes a stepping stone for despising the God who gave it, while he grasps after what God has never given. Nothing breeds dissatisfaction like a heart that fails to value what God has allotted to us. Whatever is His will alone secures real joy and strength, and happy results to the glory of the Lord.
Korah's own duties were anything but small, which is what makes the trade so ruinous.
How much better it would have been for Korah had he rested content with his Levite service, which was of the very highest order. His work as a Kohathite was to carry some of the most precious vessels of the sanctuary, but he aimed at the priesthood, and fell into the pit.
Three names mark one downward road, and Korah's is the last.
"The way of Cain" is the great departure at the start of this world's moral history. There brother killed brother, jealous of his acceptance with God. "The error of Balaam" is the evil of turning the name of God into a means of earthly honour and gain, not without hypocrisy. The last is "the rebellion of Korah," and here those who depart from God perish. This is not just the selfish twisting of truth into a way of getting ahead, bad as that was. It is open, deliberate rebellion against the rights of Christ Himself. Moses was the apostle of the Jewish faith, as Aaron was its high priest. Christ is the apostle and high priest of the faith we confess.
Paul seems to look back at this day when he writes to Timothy.
It seems that the Apostle Paul refers to this incident in 2 Timothy 2:19. In our chapter Moses says, "The LORD will show who is His, and who is holy," and of Dathan and Abiram, "Depart from the tents of these wicked men." These two statements clearly point forward to the instruction the apostles give us, for the times when we meet error face to face. Such error attacks the foundations of our faith, and it overthrows the faith of those who fall under its influence. We are neither sovereign nor all-knowing. God is both, and in due season He will make clear who are His. We are, however, responsible to act in line with His word, and avoid all part in the error and evil.
- Show — the verb is God's, not Moses'. Moses says nothing in his own defence and leaves the case to the Lord's choice.
- Chosen — God gives nearness and holiness; no one claims them. No one takes the honour of priesthood for himself. God called Aaron.
- Censer — the test made the claim public. Men who wanted priesthood had to act as priests before God, and the outcome was His to give.
- Content — Korah already held a place God gave him. A heart that fails to value what God allots starts reaching for what He never gave.
- Depart — God will make clear who are His. Our part is to keep clear of the error meanwhile.
And Moses said to Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi!
Moses turns from the crowd to the men behind the rebellion — his own tribe. His single question, "Hear now, you sons of Levi," opens an appeal that runs to verse 11. It exposes what the rebellion really wanted.
Moses gives the rebels room to think again. One writer reads verses 8 to 11 as that kind of opening:
His words in verses 8 to 11 are a further appeal to their consciences. If they would listen, this gave them a chance to think again about their rebellion and to take back their foolish demands. Moses reminds Korah that he had been given a position of honour above the congregation, along with the other sons of Levi. Then he asks whether he now wants the priesthood as well… Korah's complaint was against Aaron, because he wanted Aaron's position.
Everything turns on who Korah already was, and on what he aimed at next:
What then was Korah? He was a Levite. As a Levite he had the right to minister and to teach: "They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law." "The God of Israel has separated you… to bring you near to Himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them." That is what Korah was, and that was his work. What did he aim at? At the priesthood.
Korah thought little of the place God had already given him. One writer calls this the usual form of unbelief:
Unbelief shows itself constantly in this very form. Suppose God puts an honour on a man, and the man does not receive it as from Him. Then the honour becomes only a stepping stone: he despises the God who gave it, and grasps after what God has never given. Nothing makes a heart so dissatisfied as failing to put the right value on what God has allotted to us. His will alone secures real joy and strength, and happy results to the glory of the Lord.
Korah's case sounded selfless. Moses answers the man behind it:
To a casual observer it might not have appeared that Korah was seeking anything for himself. He seemed to be contending for the rights of the whole assembly. But Moses, by the Spirit of God, unmasks the man. His excuse looked good: he was standing up for the common rights of the congregation. Behind that excuse he was brazenly seeking the priesthood for himself… You will usually find that loud talkers about the liberties, rights, and privileges of God's people are really seeking their own exaltation and advantage. Not content with doing their proper work, they are seeking an improper place.
Korah's reach for the priesthood was not a quarrel with a man. One writer names what it really was:
The sin was this: it was the ministers of God seeking also to usurp the priesthood. There was only one high priest in Israel, a picture of our one and only great High Priest, who has passed into the heavens. Rebellion against Aaron was sin against the Lord.
Another writer traces this chapter forward to Christ and to us:
What makes this chapter so solemn is that the Spirit of God applies it to the future course of Christianity… Jude points to "Korah's rebellion," and here those who depart from God perish. This was not just twisting the truth into a means of personal gain, bad as that was. It was open, deliberate revolt against the rights of Christ Himself. Moses was the apostle of the Jewish faith, as Aaron was its high priest. Christ is the apostle and the high priest of the faith we confess. So when a man claims and exercises a priesthood today, he invades a work that Jesus Christ alone can carry out, at the right hand of God.
The lesson for us is contentment with the place God gives:
Oh, to walk humbly with our God! To be content with His will! To be glad to fill a very small place and to do the most unassuming work! This is true dignity and true happiness… If Korah and his company had learnt this, their piercing cry would never have terrified the hearts of their brothers. But no; they wanted to be something when they were nothing.
- Brought near. God set the Levites apart and brought them near Himself to serve. Korah already had that honour.
- Counted small. Korah held that honour cheaply and grasped at what God never gave him. That is the root sin Moses exposes.
- Unmasked. Talk of everyone's rights hid a private ambition. Loud defenders of the people's rights usually want a place for themselves.
- Against the Lord. Reaching for the priesthood was not rivalry with Aaron. It was sin against the Lord, and today it invades the work of the one High Priest in heaven.
- Content. The cure is the opposite of Korah. Fill the place God gives you, do the work He gives you, and stay humble.
Is it too little for you, that the God of Israel has separated you from the assembly of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the work of the tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the assembly to minister to them?
Korah was a Levite. He led a revolt against Moses and Aaron, and Moses answered him with a question. It asks Korah to weigh what God had already given him.
Moses meets the charge by naming a gift. One commentator traces Korah's discontent back to unbelief.
Unbelief shows itself constantly in this very form. Suppose God puts an honour on a man, and the man does not receive it from Him. Then it is only a stepping stone. He despises the God who gave it, and grasps after what He has never given. Nothing produces such dissatisfaction as a heart that puts a wrong value on what God has given us. His will alone secures real joy and strength, and happy results to the glory of the Lord.
The verse names two directions in one calling. God brought the Levite near to Himself, then set him before the people to serve them. That place carried the right to teach.
What then was Korah? He was a Levite. As such he had the right to minister and to teach: "They shall teach Jacob your rules, and Israel your law." That was Korah, and that was his sphere of work. At what did he aim? At the priesthood. "Do you seek the priesthood also?"
Korah spoke as though he were defending everyone's rights. Moses' question strips that away. It names what Korah wanted for himself.
To a casual observer it might not have appeared that Korah was seeking anything for himself. He seemed to be contending for the rights of the whole assembly. But Moses, by the Spirit of God, unmasks the man. Korah made a plausible show of standing up for the common rights of the congregation. Behind it, he was boldly seeking the priesthood for himself. Note this well. Loud talkers about the liberties, rights, and privileges of God's people are usually seeking their own exaltation and advantage. Not content with doing their proper work, they are seeking an improper place.
The service Korah reached for was not mere routine. What it pictured decides the weight of his sin.
Korah called the "flesh" holy, and so wanted to bring it into the sanctuary. This is not idolatry, but "flesh" seeking to handle the things of Christ. What is the service of the tabernacle? What are the sacrifices, the incense, everything within the consecrated place? They are all pictures of the coming Christ. So Korah's sin brings down a heavier judgment than the worship of the golden calf. God was more jealous for the honour of Christ — even when the matter was only shadows and symbols — than for His own name when Aaron joined it with idolatry.
One writer places this chapter in a line of warnings that Scripture traces from the start of human history.
This chapter is so solemn because the Spirit of God applies it to the coming course of Christendom. We all need its warning. The letter of Jude sets the beginning, the way and the end before us. "The way of Cain" is the great departure at the start of this world's moral history, where brother killed brother… "The error of Balaam" is the evil of turning the name of God into a means of earthly honour and gain, not without hypocrisy. The last is the one before us here, "Korah's rebellion," and here those who depart from God perish. This is not merely the selfish twisting of the truth into a means of advancement, driven by a covetous heart, bad as that was. It is open, deliberate insurrection against the rights of Christ Himself. Moses was the sent one of the Jewish faith, as Aaron was its high priest. Christ is the apostle and high priest of the faith we confess.
The answer to Korah's sin is simple. Each person has a place from God, and the work that goes with it.
Has God given a man his place to fill — his work to do? Who will question this? Well then, let each one know his place and fill it — know his work and do it. Nothing in the world is more senseless than trying to take another's post or do another's work… Korah had his work; Moses had his. Why should one envy another?
- Given nearness. God separated the Levites and brought them near to Himself. Moses points Korah to a gift already in his hands.
- Despised nearness. An honour not received as from God becomes a stepping stone. The man despises the Giver and grasps after what He never gave.
- Disguised nearness. Korah's talk of everyone's rights covered a private aim: he wanted the priesthood for himself.
- Invaded nearness. The tabernacle service pictured the coming Christ. To seize it was open insurrection against His rights — what Jude calls Korah's rebellion.
- Kept nearness. The safe path is to know your place and fill it, your work and do it, without envying another's.
-- that he has brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee; and seek ye now the priesthood also?
Korah and his followers have just told Moses that the whole congregation is holy, and that the leaders have taken too much on themselves. Moses turns the argument around: God had already brought the sons of Levi near to Himself, so the real demand was for the priesthood.
Commentators point out that the Levites had a real, God-given work. Moses' question shows where Korah stepped outside it.
What then was Korah? He was a Levite. As such he had the right to minister and to teach: "They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law." "The God of Israel has brought you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them." Such was Korah, and such his sphere of work. At what did he aim? At the priesthood.
Korah was not overlooked. God had given him something, and he treated it as small.
Unbelief shows itself constantly in this very form. If God puts an honour on a man, and the man does not receive it as from Him, that honour becomes only a stepping stone. He despises the God who gave it, and grasps after what God has never given. Nothing produces such dissatisfaction as a heart that fails to value what God has allotted to us. Whatever is His will alone secures real joy and strength, and happy results to the glory of the Lord.
Korah's public case sounded generous: the holiness of the whole assembly. Moses' question strips off the disguise.
To a casual observer, Korah might not have looked like a man seeking anything for himself. He seemed to be fighting for the rights of the whole assembly. But Moses, by the Spirit of God, unmasks him. Behind the convincing excuse of defending the rights of the congregation, he was boldly seeking the priesthood for himself. In most cases, loud talkers about the liberties, rights, and privileges of God's people are really seeking their own exaltation and advantage. Not content with doing their proper work, they are seeking an improper place.
Another writer asks whether Korah's concern for everyone was sincere:
Did Korah really care for all the congregation? No! He wanted to be the high priest himself. He accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves when it was plainly God who had exalted them. But Korah wanted to exalt himself, using his followers to this end.
Korah wanted a place God had given to Aaron alone. Commentators read that place as a picture of Christ, so reaching for it means refusing Him.
As a Levite he had special privileges connected with the tabernacle and the holy vessels. He envied Aaron and wanted to push his way into the priesthood. As a picture, it matches the refusal of Christ's sacrificial work and of His exclusive place of nearness to God. He is the only One through whom anyone can come to God. This was not rebellion against man. It was rebellion against the authority of God, and against the merciful provision by which He had spared the guilty nation.
One writer sees the same mistake repeated long after the wilderness:
They were Levites, but desired the priesthood for themselves. This was a terrible mistake, and the Christian world has repeated it. People who should have been doing Levite service have interfered with the rights of Christ. They have set themselves up as a special class of "priests," as mediators between believers and God.
The answer to Korah's sin is not to stop serving. It is to fill your own place instead of grabbing someone else's.
Has God given a man his place to fill — his work to do? Then let each one know his place and fill it, know his work and do it. Nothing in the world is more senseless than trying to take another's post or do another's work. Korah had his work; Moses had his. Why should one envy another?
- Brought near. God had already set the Levites apart and given them service near Himself. Moses' question points to a gift received, not a wrong suffered.
- Counted small. Korah's sin started in a heart that thought little of God's gift. That heart then reached for what God had never given.
- Masked. Talk of everyone's rights hid one man's bid for promotion. Commentators say this pattern repeats.
- Christ's alone. Aaron's priesthood pictures Christ's own place of nearness to God. Pushing into it is not a quarrel with men. It refuses God's mercy.
- Your own post. The remedy is not silence but contentment: know the work given you, do it, and leave another's place alone.
For which cause thou and all thy band are banded together against Jehovah; and Aaron, who is he that ye murmur against him?
Moses names the protest for what it is: a group banded together against God, with Aaron as the excuse. The quarrel is not about two men, but about the One who gave them their places.
Moses does not defend himself or his brother. He points out who really chose them, which means the rebels have picked a fight far above their heads.
Korah and his companions, then, were quarrelling with God and not with Moses and Aaron. God had called these two to fill a certain position and to do a certain work. It would have gone badly for them if they had refused. They had not aimed at the position or taken up the work themselves. God appointed them. This should have settled the question. It would have settled it for everyone except restless, self-occupied rebels, who sought to undermine the true servants of God so they could lift themselves up.
Korah made his case sound generous. He spoke for the rights of the whole assembly, not for himself — or so it looked.
To a casual observer it might not have looked as if Korah was seeking anything for himself. He seemed to be contending for the rights of the whole assembly. But Moses, by the Spirit of God, unmasks the man. Under the plausible excuse of standing up for the common rights of the congregation, he was boldly seeking the priesthood for himself. Loud talkers about the liberties, rights, and privileges of God's people are usually seeking their own promotion and advantage. Not content with doing their proper work, they are seeking an improper place.
Korah already held an honour from God. The quarrel shows what unbelief does with a gift.
Unbelief shows itself constantly in this very form. Suppose God puts an honour on a man, and the man does not take it as from Him. Then it only becomes a stepping stone for despising the God who gave it, while he grasps after what God has never given. Nothing produces such dissatisfaction as a heart that fails to value what God has given us.
The closing question answers itself. Aaron had nothing of his own to be envied; he held a place God had given, and given in mercy.
As a Levite, Korah had special privileges at the tabernacle and with its holy vessels. He envied Aaron and wanted to force his way into the priesthood. As a picture, that is the refusal of Christ's sacrificial work and of His exclusive place of nearness to God — the only One through whom anyone can come to Him. It was not rebellion against man. "What is Aaron that you grumble against him?" (Numbers 16:11). It was the authority of God, and the merciful provision by which He had spared the guilty nation.
Korah was not the last to assume that importance gives a right to holy things. A censer was the pan used for burning incense before God.
Great men in the world do claim, in extraordinary fashion, rights even to the censer. Those rights in reality belong only to the Great High Priest in heaven. "What is Aaron that you grumble against him?" He is God's high priest, and beside him there is no other.
This chapter is not only old history. It is aimed at Christendom — the whole professing Christian world.
What makes this so solemn a chapter is that the Spirit of God applies it directly to the coming course of Christendom. We all need its warning. In the letter of Jude, the beginning, the way, and the end are all set before us. The last of the three is here — Korah's rebellion — and those who depart from God perish. This is not merely the selfish twisting of truth into a means of personal gain, bad as that was. It is open, deliberate insurrection against the rights of Christ Himself. Moses was the apostle of the faith Israel professed, and Aaron was its high priest. Christ is the apostle and high priest of the faith we profess. To claim a priesthood for man now, and to exercise it, directly invades what only Jesus Christ can carry out at the right hand of God.
- Place given. Moses and Aaron never grabbed their places. God appointed them, and refusing Him would have gone badly.
- Place despised. Korah already held a privileged place among the Levites. An honour not taken as from God becomes a stepping stone for despising the God who gave it.
- Place coveted. The talk of everyone's rights was cover. Moses unmasks a man not content with his proper work and reaching for an improper place.
- Place defended by God. Aaron was nothing in himself — a man holding a place God gave in mercy. To grumble at him was to band together against the LORD.
- Place filled by Christ. Korah's sin points forward. Only one High Priest stands at God's right hand. To claim that place for man invades what is His alone.