Num 20:1-13 — Death of Miriam, Moses Strikes the Rock
Num 20:14-29 — Edom Refuses the Israelites Passage, Aaron’s Death
Num 21:1-9 — The Bronze Serpent
Num 21:10-35 — The Song of the Well, The Defeat of King Sihon and King Og
Num 22 — Balak Summons Balaam, Balaam’s Donkey
Thoughts about serving others
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Numbers 16 describes Korah’s rebellion and God’s immediate reaction. Korah intrigued me when I found it listed in Jude as one of the extreme examples of ungodly people, so I didn’t want to miss it in this context during our study of Moses.
Korah’s Rebellion. Korah, Dathan and Abiram, along with 250 well-known Israelite men opposed Moses and Aaron, “Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” (Num 16:1-3). Moses said to Korah, “It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together” (Num 16:11). The Lord takes action immediately and the scene unfolds quickly (Num 16:28-30). “As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them…”, then “fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men” (Num 16:31-35). The rebellion was crushed. Later we discover that “The line of Korah, however, did not die out” (Num 26:11). Further, one of the sons in Korah’s lineage marries Hannah and thus becomes the father of Samuel.
The rich history in the Old Testament is really interesting when I think about our rebellious ancestors, their mistakes (often times flagrant), yet the Lord remains faithful, pursuing us through all the mess. Even Moses, after all the things he saw God do through him, loses his temper and strikes the rock twice (Num 20:11) against the Lord’s direction. With that act of defiance, the Lord declares “you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Num 20:12).
The bar is high for leaders of God’s people. The responsibility is great, the consequences of rebelling are quick and sure. God help me to hear your voice clearly, to listen, to obey faithfully.