Numbers 16:41–50

The closing paragraph of our chapter illustrates, in a most striking way, the incurable evil of the natural heart. One might hope that after the impressive scenes acted out in front of the congregation, deep and lasting lessons would be learned. They had seen the earth open her mouth. They had heard the heart-rending cry of the rebels as they went down into the pit. They had seen the fire of the Lord come out and consume, in a moment, two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation. After such a display of divine power and majesty, one might suppose that the people would from now on walk softly and humbly, with no more sounds of discontent and rebellion in their tents.

Only the next day the congregation was foolish enough to accuse Moses and Aaron outright of killing the people of the LORD (v.41). Moses and Aaron had not done this. It was God, not Moses, who stepped in with dreadful judgment that Moses could never have carried out. But people are often blinded by self-centredness. In this catastrophic judgment they saw nothing but the work of the authorities. And people are always ready to challenge any authority.

The people would still insist, as if in defiance of God, that the princes had the right to offer incense. They insisted too that Moses had killed righteous men. They refused to see that the LORD Himself had destroyed them by direct and immediate judgment. So the congregation ignored the sin and in reality charged God with unrighteousness. It is a solemn thing to doubt God's mercy. But to say that God is unrighteous in His judgment is the height of wickedness, and it brings further judgment on them. The LORD suddenly appears. While the people gather against Moses and Aaron, the cloud covers the tabernacle... and the plague destroys fourteen thousand seven hundred more of the people.

But the spirit of rebellion had taken hold of the whole assembly. On the next day they murmur against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the LORD." The name was a convenient way to make themselves great.

A person may think and reason about the ground of Christian confidence and Christian privilege, just as these Israelites reasoned that God owned them. Theirs was a carnal confidence. They took up general principles of truth about God's dealings with His people, and then went on in the presumption of the flesh. This brought them to murmur and rebel.

Nothing but priesthood could be of any use to a rebellious and stiff-necked people. That is very clear here, and it was the very priesthood they had so despised... There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living. From his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron. That One made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and He is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work... Intercession saved the people from the just consequences of their rebellious murmurings.

After the murmurs of the people of Israel (Num. 16:41) God took the rod from the hands of Aaron, whose election showed grace (Num. 17:5), to lead the people Himself across the desert... The love of God is greater than the sin of the people: without that they would never have been able to cross the desert. The rod of Aaron is therefore the full display of the grace of God.

Man is not to be taught this way. The flesh is utterly incurable. God's book teaches this truth in every section and on every page. We see it in the closing lines of Numbers 16. "But on the next day." Think of that! It was not a year, or a month, or even a week after the dreadful scenes we have been considering.

The people still insisted, as if in defiance of God, that the princes had the right to offer incense. They insisted that Moses had killed righteous men. They chose to ignore that Jehovah had destroyed them by direct and immediate judgment. So the congregation ignored the sin and in effect charged God with unrighteousness. It is a solemn thing to doubt God's mercy. But to say that God is unrighteous in His judgment is the worst wickedness of all. And it brings further judgment on them. Jehovah suddenly appears.

Israel provokes the holiness of the Lord in the day of the manna, in the day of the spies, in the matter of Korah, and at the water of Meribah (Exodus 16; Numbers 14, 16, 20). Each time the Lord resents it. The glory appears in the cloud, expressing this resentment, a witness against the camp.

All Israel had witnessed the glory of the Lord that had come to deal with Korah's rebellion, and had seen the divine judgment poured out on those who had rebelled, yet the very next day "all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, 'You have killed the people of the LORD'" (Num. 16:41). We may well wonder at the boldness of Israel in challenging so soon — after seeing what happened to Korah — the God who had shown His displeasure and His power against the sinners.

Moses did not have to answer the people at all. For God intervened suddenly. The cloud covered the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appeared (v.42). Moses and Aaron came there and heard the Lord's command: "Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." So their complaining helped nothing. It only led to further death among the people.

This passage makes it very clear: nothing but priesthood could help a rebellious and stubborn people — and it was the very priesthood they had despised. There is something in this closing paragraph that is blessed beyond words. There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living. From his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron. That greater One made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and He is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work.

But what a God is ours! Truly we say that His ways of mercy rise above His righteous judgment. His goodness and His wrath (as we see here) have brought out still greater sin. Yet God makes the greater sin an occasion for showing still greater mercy. He met Israel's need at that time, and He uses it to reveal to His church now a truth of the highest and most blessed importance. For now the high work of priesthood in intercession stands out most clearly, and grace shows still more of its resources.

They still insisted, as if defying God, that the princes had the right to offer incense. They claimed Moses had killed righteous men. They chose to ignore that the Lord had destroyed them by direct and immediate judgment. So the congregation ignored the sin and in reality charged God with unrighteousness. It is a solemn thing to doubt God's mercy. But to say that God is unrighteous in His judgment is the height of wickedness. It brings further judgment upon them.

Moses did not have to answer the people at all. For God intervened suddenly. The cloud covered the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appeared (v.42). Moses and Aaron came there. They heard the Lord's command: "Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." In other words, their complaining, rather than helping anything, only led to further death among the people.

All Israel had witnessed the glory of the Lord that had come to deal with Korah's rebellion, and had seen the divine judgment poured out on those who had rebelled, yet the very next day "all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of the Lord." We may well wonder at the boldness of Israel in challenging, so soon after seeing what happened to Korah, the God who had shown His displeasure and His power against the sinners.

One would have thought that this judgment would leave a deep impression on all the people. However, on the morning of the very next day the people complain, "You have killed the people of the Lord." As they identify themselves with Korah and the 250 men, they deserve the same judgment. God's instructions to Moses were, "Get up from the midst of this assembly, and I will consume them in a moment." They are very similar indeed to the instructions He gave before the earth opened and swallowed up Korah and his companions (v. 26: "Depart"). So the only understandable reaction of Moses would have been to "depart" and wait for God to judge the people.

This makes one thing very clear. Nothing but priesthood — the very priesthood that had been so despised — could be of any use to a rebellious and stubborn people. There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living. From his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron. That One made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and He is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work. Priesthood alone could bring the people through the wilderness. It was the rich and fitting provision of divine grace.

The lighted censer was a picture of the sweet savour of the merits of Christ, brought out in all their perfection by His death. Fire from the bronze altar had kindled it. The whole scene illustrated the Lord's intercession, which is always effective and always must be. For notice that Aaron offered no fresh sacrifice, but stood with his lighted censer. That was enough. God understood the deep meaning of that according to His thoughts, and He showed mercy at once.

We should not criticise God's people lightly, or wait for God to judge them. Instead we should bring in the "censer": bringing the merits of Christ and His work before God, and asking Him to have mercy upon His people on this basis.

Man is not to be taught this way. The flesh is utterly incurable. This truth is taught in every section and on every page of the volume of God. It is illustrated in the closing lines of Numbers 16. "But on the next day." Think of that! It was not in a year, or a month, or even a week after the appalling scenes we have been dwelling on.

One would have thought that this judgment would leave a deep impression upon all the people. However, on the morning of the very next day the people complain, "You have killed the people of the LORD." As they identify themselves with Korah and the 250 men, they merit the same judgment. God's instructions to Moses, "Get away from the midst of this assembly, and I will consume them in a moment," are very similar indeed to the instructions He had given before the earth opened and swallowed up Korah and his companions (v. 26: "Depart"). Therefore, the only understandable reaction of Moses would have been for him to "depart" and wait for the people to be judged.

Here are three special judgments in two days. The last one came because the people had seen the first two and still did not repent. In heart they were committing the same sin that brought the judgment on Korah and his company. The LORD speaks to Moses, "Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." Moses knew that wrath had gone out from the LORD, and his taught heart knew the right way to turn it back. He tells Aaron to take the censer, put fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Aaron is to go quickly to the congregation and make atonement. And Aaron stands between the dead and the living, and the plague stops.

This makes it very clear that nothing but priesthood — even that very priesthood which had been so despised — could help a rebellious and stubborn people. There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living. From his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron. That One made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and He is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work. Priesthood alone could bring the people through the wilderness.

If it is asked, why, then, is it called "making atonement"? We have seen that, according to the Old Testament, atonement could be made over and over again, and with the same blood. On the day of atonement the blood is put on the mercy-seat and on the altar alike, and in each case atonement is said to be made with it. This becomes simpler when we consider that the word "to make atonement" is the intensified form of the verb "to cover", so it would naturally take in the thought of the effect of atonement, as well as the making of it. Thus the intercession of the risen Priest, as effectually covering the sin of His redeemed, might in this sense be said to make atonement for it. Its power to do this does not set aside, but affirms, the value of His precious death.

This is the language of pure and inflexible justice. Immediate destruction is the work of justice. Keeping them safe to the very end is the glorious and vital work of divine grace — grace reigning through righteousness. If God had dealt with the people in justice alone, He would never have made His name known, for there is far more in His name than justice. There is love, mercy, goodness, kindness, long-suffering, deep and unfailing compassion. But no one would have seen any of this if the people had been consumed in a moment. "For my name's sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off... For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another." (Isaiah 48:9, 11)

The people still insisted, as if defying God, that the princes had the right to offer incense. They claimed Moses had killed righteous men. They chose to ignore the fact that the Lord had destroyed those men by direct and immediate judgment. So the congregation ignored the sin and in reality charged God with unrighteousness. It is a serious thing to doubt God's mercy. But to call God unrighteous in His judgment is the height of wickedness, and it brings further judgment on them.

"But on the next day." Think of that! It was not a year after the terrible scenes we have been considering. It was not a month, or even a week. "But on the next day all the congregation" — no longer just a few daring spirits — "grumbled against Moses and against Aaron."

As they identify themselves with Korah and the 250 men, they deserve the same judgment. God's instructions to Moses, "Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment," are much like the instructions He had given before the earth opened and swallowed up Korah and his companions. Then too He had said, "Depart" (v. 26). So the only understandable reaction of Moses would have been to "depart" and wait for God to judge the people.

Moses, you know, did this first. When the congregation gathered to grumble, how good to see Moses and Aaron leave them and go to the door of the tabernacle. And they fell on their faces before God. This is what we deeply need — that spirit of intercession. How I wish we all had it.

Here is another opportunity for Moses. The whole congregation is again threatened with immediate destruction. All seems hopeless… But now it appears that the only hope for the people lies in the very priesthood the rebels had despised. The very men they had charged with killing the Lord's people were God's instruments in saving their lives.

At first sight the action is strange. Atonement, according to Leviticus, is by blood. Here there is none, no sacrifice of any kind, and yet atonement is made… For resurrection marks the priesthood we have come to. Death, then, has been gone through, and this means atonement in that sense has been made. Once made, it cannot be repeated, and it never needs to be… Christ is in heaven. He has completely finished the work for sin, although He has not finished the work of intercession for His people. That intercession is just what the offering of incense pictures.

The censers of Korah and his company had been rejected outright. Now the one censer God appointed, in the hands of Aaron, is enough to stay the plague between the dead and the living.

Those who had died were beyond recovery; for them no atonement was possible. Aaron could step in only for the living… In him the merits of Christ presented to God were displayed in type.

There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living. From his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron, who made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and who is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work.

The whole congregation is again threatened with immediate destruction. All seems hopeless. God's patience seems at an end, and the sword of judgment is about to fall on the whole assembly. But now it turns out that the only hope for the people lies in the very priesthood the rebels had despised. The very men they had accused of killing the Lord's people were God's instruments in saving their lives.

Moses had said that the Lord would show who were holy and whom He had appointed to come near. Terrible judgment had already shown it. Now His mercy and compassion would declare the same thing... The difference is that the first lies outside priesthood. There God maintains His own order against rebellious man. The priest stands still, and God takes vengeance. But when the plague came, the priest had permission — indeed a command — to step in with mercy and stop the ravages of judicial death.

Fire is taken from the altar — this tells of divine judgment, for where there is sin, there must also be judgment... The incense is the sweet fragrance of Christ Himself, going up to God. It is the preciousness of the One who bore the judgment, so that God might righteously stop the power of death. When Aaron puts incense on the fire, the priest is interceding. He pleads the merits of the one sacrifice, as if to remind God of it.

Death, then, has already been passed through, and that means atonement in this sense has been made. Once made, it cannot be repeated, and never needs to be. Put in Christian terms, Christ is in heaven. He has completely finished the work for sin, but He has not finished the work of intercession for His people. The offering of incense pictures that very intercession, so everything here is in place.

The word "to make atonement" is the intensified form of the verb "to cover"... So in this sense we may say that the risen Priest's intercession makes atonement for the sin of His redeemed, since it effectively covers it. Its power to do this does not set aside the value of His precious death, but affirms it.

In a moment, without any warning, the plague began. Only one thing could stem the tide of judgment and shield the survivors from the death that threatened them: the high priest stepping in with a censer full of burning incense, lit from the fire of the altar. At Moses' suggestion Aaron ran, for the matter was urgent... Those who had died were beyond recovery; for them no atonement was possible. Only for the living could Aaron step in.

The offering of incense was only occasional, and it might be interrupted. Its fragrance was not always before God. The plague had begun among the people. Destructive judgment had come out. Then Moses told Aaron to take a censer, put fire in it from the altar, and lay incense on it. Aaron had to do all this before he could run into the congregation and stand between the dead and the living... But now the ministry of incense is unbroken: "He always lives to make intercession for us." So He is able to save right through, from beginning to end.

Aaron stood between the dead and the living and stopped the plague from passing over to the living. This is a beautiful prophetic picture of the last days, when Christ will step in for the ancient people of God. As High Priest He will hold back the arm of the Avenger. The living remnant will become a great nation, restored to favour and blessing through One greater than Aaron.

This makes one thing very clear. Nothing but priesthood — even that very priesthood they had so despised — could help a rebellious and stubborn people. There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living, and from his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron. That One has made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and He is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work. Priesthood alone could bring the people through the wilderness. It was the rich and suited provision of divine grace.

There is no ground here for the error that a failing believer must begin again as though his pardon could be cancelled. "Make atonement" gives no support to a teaching so contrary to the plain teaching of the word. It is true that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." But Aaron shed no blood here. There was no atonement in that sense. There was the pleading before God of the value of the offering once made. It is in this way that "atonement" is made for believers now when they fail. It is the Advocate above, Jesus Christ the righteous, who by His presence there avails for us.

The lighted censer was a picture of the sweet fragrance of the merits of Christ, brought out in all their perfection by His death. It pictured them because its fire came from the bronze altar. The whole scene illustrated the Lord's intercession, which is effective and must always be. For notice that Aaron offered no fresh sacrifice, but stood with his lighted censer. That was enough. God understood the deep meaning of that according to His own thoughts, and showed mercy at once.

Intercession is the teaching here, and both the incense and Aaron together are a picture of Christ; the incense of His worth, Aaron of His office. Aaron might run among the people: what would that have achieved? There was no worth in him; the power that stayed the plague was (in the picture) in the incense. It needs both the incense and the priest to be a fitting picture of Him who is both Offering and Priest.

Only one thing could stop the flood of judgment and shield the survivors from the death that threatened them. That was the high priest stepping in with a censer full of burning incense, lit from the fire of the altar. At Moses' suggestion Aaron ran, for the matter was urgent, and so atonement was made for the congregation. … Those who had died were beyond recovery; for them no atonement was possible.

Precious teaching for us, who know many failures of our own. Our failures deserve righteous judgment, and would surely meet it. But by faith we are sprinkled with blood, and the sweet incense of Christ is always before God. Our High Priest never stops burning the incense lit by His death, a sweet-smelling fragrance to God. … We are on the living side of the Priest, and the angel of death cannot pass. "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." (John 10)

Aaron stands between the dead and the living, stopping the plague so that it does not pass over to the living. This is a beautiful prophetic picture of the last days, when Christ will step in for the ancient people of God. As High Priest He will hold back the arm of the Avenger. Those left alive will become a great nation, restored to favour and blessing through One greater than Aaron.

God had rejected the censers of Korah and his company outright. Now He appoints one censer in Aaron's hands, and that one censer is enough to stop the plague between the dead and the living. We are not told whether the 14,700 who died were ringleaders in the evil. Sin is lawlessness — rebellion against God. And the wages of sin is death. The whole incident emphasizes this.

In the wilderness the plague stopped when Aaron stood between the dead and the living with his lighted censer. Those who had died were beyond recovery; for them no atonement was possible. Phinehas and Aaron could step in only for the living, since both were concerned only with God's government of His people. Phinehas showed zeal for God; Aaron pictured the merits of Christ set before God. So the people did not reap the fruits of their own ways.

Here it is made very clear: nothing but priesthood could be of any use to a rebellious and stubborn people. And it was that very priesthood they had despised. There is something wonderfully blessed in this closing paragraph. There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living. From his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron. That One made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and He is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work. Priesthood alone could bring the people through the wilderness.

Fire is taken from the altar — this speaks of divine judgment, for where there is sin, there must also be judgment. No one ever sinned without judgment following, measured by the majesty and holiness of God. For the believer, Christ has borne that judgment. And the incense is the sweet fragrance of Himself, which went up to God. It is the preciousness of Him who bore the judgment, so that God could righteously stop the power of death. Aaron putting incense on the fire is the priest's act of intercession. He pleads the merits of the one sacrifice, as if to remind God of it.

Death, therefore, has been gone through. This implies that atonement in that sense has been made. Once made, it cannot be repeated, and it never needs to be. Read according to Christian truth, we should say that Christ is in heaven. He has finished the work for sin completely. But He has not finished the work of intercession for His people. The offering of incense pictures that very intercession, and so everything here is perfectly in place.

Aaron stands between the dead and the living and stops the plague, so that it does not pass over to the living. This is a beautiful prophetic picture of the last days, when Christ will step in for the ancient people of God. As High Priest He will hold back the arm of the Avenger. The living remnant will become a great nation, restored to favour and blessing through a greater than Aaron.

Here it is very clear: nothing but priesthood could help a rebellious and stiff-necked people — even that very priesthood they had so despised. There is something wonderfully blessed in this closing paragraph. There stands Aaron, God's high priest, between the dead and the living, and from his censer a cloud of incense goes up before God. He is a striking picture of One greater than Aaron. That One made a full and perfect atonement for the sins of His people, and He is always before God in all the fragrance of His Person and work. Priesthood alone could bring the people through the wilderness. It was the rich and fitting provision of divine grace. Intercession is what kept the people from the just consequences of their rebellious murmuring.

At first sight the action is a strange one. Atonement, according to Leviticus, is by blood. Here there is none — no sacrifice of any kind — and yet atonement is made... here you would expect a bullock, certainly not incense.

If we look more deeply, however, the strangeness of the action disappears. The priesthood we come to next is marked by resurrection. Death, therefore, has already been gone through. That implies atonement in that sense has been made. Once made, it cannot be repeated, and never needs to be. Interpreted according to Christian truth, we should say that Christ is in heaven: He has completely finished the work for sin, although He has not finished the work of intercession for His people. That intercession is just what is pictured by the offering of incense; and so everything here is perfectly in place.

The fire comes from the altar. That speaks of divine judgment, because where there is sin, there must also be judgment. Judgment followed every sin ever committed, measured by the majesty and holiness of God. For the believer, Christ has already borne it. The incense is the sweet savour of Himself, going up to God. It is the preciousness of Him who bore the judgment, so that God could righteously stop the power of death. When Aaron puts incense on the fire, the priest is interceding. He pleads the merits of the one sacrifice, as if to remind God of it.

Only one thing could stop the tide of judgment and shield the survivors from the death that threatened them. The high priest had to step in with a censer full of burning incense, lit from the fire of the altar. Moses told him to hurry, and Aaron ran, for the matter was urgent. And so he made atonement for the congregation... Those who had died were beyond recovery; for them no atonement was possible.

Moses had said the Lord would show who were holy, and who were appointed to draw near. Terrible judgment had already shown it. Now His mercy and compassion would declare the same thing. What more effective way than when Aaron ran in among the plague-stricken people?... The priest stands still, and God takes vengeance. But during the plague God allows the priest — indeed commands him — to step in with mercy and stop the ravages of judicial death.

We should not criticise God's people lightly, or even wait for them to be judged. Instead we should bring in the "censer." We bring the merits of Christ and His work before God, and we ask Him to have mercy on His people on that basis.