Korah's Rebellion

Now Korah, the son of Izar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, so he's a Levite, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, right? So there's four people, Korah, we've got Dathan, we've got Abram, and we've got On, okay? They rose up before Moses with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation chosen from the assembly, listen to this, well-known men.

They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 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? The amount of times I see this happen, people come with impure motive, but what comes out of their mouth is they frame it in a way which to anybody listening seems like a great, oh, you got a great point you're making here.

It seemed like, no, we're all holy, we're all equal before the Lord, What are you trying to do, acting like you're morally and spiritually superior to us? Look at us, we're all holy before God, right? So it's posed in a way which seems like a righteous endeavor.

It goes on to say, you've gone too far.

And then when Moses heard it, look at his response.

He fell on his face and he said to Korah and all his company, in the morning, the Lord will show who is who.

I love that.

I honestly don't know if in the face of this moment, I would have had the wherewithal to respond the way that Moses responded.

You know what I mean? I can relate to the sons of thunder in the New Testament.

Let us call down fire.

Take him out, Lord.

He falls on his face in humility, and he says, no, the Lord will show who is who, and who is holy, and he will bring them near to him.

And he goes on to say, the one whom he chooses, he will bring near to him.

Do this, he gives him this command, take censers, Korah and all his company, put fire in them, put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one.

you have gone too far, sons of Levi.

And Moses said to Korah, hear now, you sons of Levi, is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself? Is it too small for you that you've already been separated and brought close to God? It says, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, and that he has brought you near to him and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you.

And would you seek the priesthood also? You've got to understand, so Moses, although also a Levite, in fact, Korah was his cousin.

They both shared a grandfather.

His name was Kohath.

They both shared that grandfather.

So they're cousins.

But Moses wasn't in a priestly role.

He was actually in a prophetic leadership role, the giver of laws, and actually established in the priestly role, the high priest at the time, was Aaron, his older brother, right? You understand this? And so this is a cousin coming against a cousin.

You understand the dynamics happening.