Numbers 16

Intro

Walk through the OT quickly starting with the 7 C’s Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion. Alright lets get some context for where we are in the Bible. Genesis starts out where we see creation. God created everything by speaking. He created Man and from Man He created Woman. But there was an enemy walking in the Garden Of Eden in the form of a serpent. He was crafty and convinces Eve to eat of the only fruit God said not to eat from. She gave it to Adam and sin enters the world. Into the world comes death. Their eyes are opened and they realize they are naked and hide from God. God has to kill an animal to clothe them. The man and woman then multiply and more. But the sin became so great. God has to send a worldwide flood to wipe out the Earth. One man and his family were saved. Noah. Now after a while all the people are together and they decide they want to be like God. They start building a huge tower trying to reach Heaven. This was the Tower Of Babel. GoExodus 16d confuses the languages of the people. They separate all over the world. We still see the result of this event even tonight. As I preach through a translator. Imagine how easy it was at first. So eventually we see God choose a man. Abram, and his wife Sarai. There is a great promise. God will give the barren couple a child and out of that son would come a great nation. His name is changed to Abraham. His Son Isaac would have twin sons. Esau and Jacob. Esau would come out first and Jacob would come out holding his foot. Esau would give up his birthright for a bowl of stew. Later Jacob would swindle Esau out of his blessing. Jacob will have his name changed to Israel. Jacob has 12 sons and a daughter. One of those sons was Joseph. Joseph gets sold into slavery by his brothers and ends up in Egypt. He has an amazing life but that’s a story for another day. The short version is that Joseph ends up 2nd in charge over the entire land of Egypt and saves his family from a famine. One brother was willing to give up his freedom for another one of his brothers and that brothers name is Judah. He will be important later. So after a period of time in Egypt, Joseph has been dead for a long time. A pharaoh rose to power who didn't know Joseph. He puts the people of Israel into slavery. Finally after a while God raises up a man to deliver. The man was a baby at the time. His name is Moses. Moses in a period of time where there was an executive order to murder every male child in the land of Egypt was saved by God. Moses was adopted by the Pharaohs daughter. Moses was raised in the palace. With the best teachers in the land of Egypt. He was being raised to become a great leader in Egypt. But one day when Moses is 40 years old he sees an Egyptian beating one of the Israelites. Moses knew that he was going to deliver Israel from slavery so he took things into his own hands and murders the Egyptian. The next day news had spread and Israelites wanted nothing to do with Moses. Moses flees for his life because the Pharaoh sought to kill him. He ends up in Midian. For 40 years Moses is humbled. From the proud independent man who murdered an Egyptians, to a dad, husband, and shepherd. Moses is so humbled that when God comes to him to tell him to lead his people, he makes up excuse after excuse not to go. Like God not me. Anyone else besides me. God ends up equipping him and Moses will go back to Egypt. God will free Israel after a series of 10 plagues and Pharaoh repeatedly hardening his heart. The last one we see the institution of Passover which we will circle back to. Moses will then lead the people of Israel through ups and downs. God provided for them and kept them safe the entire way. Eventually Israel finally get to the land that God had promised to Abraham but something happens. 12 spies are sent to check out the land and 10 lie. They say that the land is super scary and not worth trying to conquer. So God as a result will have the people wander around in circles for 40 years in the desert until all of that generation died off. We find ourselves in the midst of this wandering today.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

16 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. 2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. 3 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?”

We see a group of men rise up against Moses and Aaron. They also bring 250 well known men with them. They accuse Moses and Aaron of putting themselves in charge of the people. Of course we can go back to Exodus 3 when Moses tried his very best to avoid becoming the leader and God put him in charge of the people. And then every single thing that happened after served as a confirmation that God was the one using Moses. Moses did not appoint himself God appointed him. Now another thing that can confuse us is in verse 3. Korah calls every one of the people of Israel holy. Is he saying all of the Israelites are perfect? Well the true definition of holy is set apart. These people were set apart by God. His chosen people. So Moses heard this accusation in verse 4.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, 5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the LORD will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him. 6 Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company; 7 put fire in them and 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!”

So Moses challenges Korah and his company to a challenge. This challenge will prove who God has chosen to use. Moses also tells the 250 men to use the incense that the priest would use. Sons of Levi is also important. Levi was one of the 12 sons of Israel. The Levites were put in charge of the sacrificial system and would take care of the temple. They were set apart. They wouldn't have to fight in wars the same way as the other tribes. Aaron was the current high priest as he was from the tribe of Levi.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

8 And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 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, to do service in the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, 10 and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

Moses asks them something that is super important. Is it too small a thing for you to be a Levite and serve in the tabernacle? Moses calls them out for what their true intention is. This is the very same thing that got Satan kicked out of Heaven. He wanted more power and to be God. These men want more. They want to be Moses and Aaron. Just being content in the place God had them was not something they had any interest in. They wanted all the glory for themselves. Get these pests who are the literal mouth pieces of God out of the way. We could do better. This is a huge problem in churches even today. Everyone wants to be the worship leader or the pastor. We need to just be content where God has us and do all things without grumbling or complaining. Just serving God.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

15 And Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

Moses is really angry and for good reason. He says to God don’t accept their offering. Moses has not taken anything from them or harmed them. He in fact has stood up for these people time and time again. Saving them from God’s full wrath.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

16 And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the LORD, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. 17 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.” 18 So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 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.

So this is all going down. They meet up outside the tent of meeting. The 250 chiefs with their incense, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their families. And the glory of the Lord appears to them.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

20 And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” 22 And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” 23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

God is about to take out the entire congregation but Moses and Aaron do something incredible. They fell on their faces and they ask God that he wouldn't wipe out everyone. These very people standing against Moses and Aaron they are asking God to have mercy on. How incredible is this. Imagine if we all prayed for the people who wanted to hurt us. It would change the way we saw the world. God gives the people a chance.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” 27 So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.

God gives people a chance to get away from Dathan, Abiram, and Korah. So they do that.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

28 And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. 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. 30 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.”

Moses says okay so if they die of natural reasons God has not sent me. But… If the Lord creates something new and they get swallowed up by the ground you will know that these men despised the Lord.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” 35 And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

As soon as Moses finished saying this the Earth literally swallows all the people belonging to those 3 men. The people all freak out. But God is not done. God consumes the 250 chiefs. They were doing something that was reserved for the priests. They stepped out of line out of arrogance and were led astray by sinful men and turned away from God and His plan. to summarize the remainder of this chapter the people turn their backs on God again. They grumble against Him and 14,700 are killed by a plague. Moses and Aaron stepped between the plague and living people with incense and the plague stopped. Now we pick up in chapter 21.

English Standard Version Chapter 21

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Verse 4 the people are still wandering around in the wilderness. Aaron has now died. The people get impatient and start complaining and speak out against God and Moses. They somehow haven’t realized that every time that they do this something horrible happens. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? These people have so many times forgotten the pain they went through in Egypt. Egypt was a picture of sin. They were going through horrific things. But they on the other side of it just remember the “good things.” Like they had some food and water. They also were getting beaten, doing horrible work, and killing their own sons but they forget that. We do the very same thing with our sin. We only remember the good parts of the sin. We forget the bad things that leave us wishing we never did the sin. We all do that no matter who we are. Oh last time I reacted in anger I lost my friend. The last time I drank I woke up feeling horrible and it just made things worse. You all know that thing in your life that you keep going back to. Proverbs 26:11 “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” That verse is so true in our lives. We, just like the Israelites do the same thing repeatedly. That thing is that we choose our ways over God’s way. As a result comes a consequence. In this case that is fiery serpents that bit people so that many of the people of Israel died. I am so glad our actions don’t result in in fiery serpents today. Can you imagine? In this case the fiery serpent is some sort of a viper. And the fiery is talking about the pain the venom would cause. Now that they have this happen they realize their mistake. They acknowledge that they have sinned against the Lord. They ask for forgiveness and that they would have these serpents taken away. Now the way the Lord answers was confusing to me at first. God has Moses make a fiery serpent out of bronze and put it on a pole. That way if someone gets bitten and looks at the statue they would live. So Moses does this and that happens. Why a serpent though? And why would it be a bronze serpent on a pole? Well our answer comes from Jesus himself. Most of you know the verse John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” right? Well what about the 2 verses before it?

English Standard Version Chapter 3

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. Lets look at that first. Moses takes this bronze serpent and he puts it on a pole. He holds it high in the air. So must the Son of Man be lifted up. Now who is the Son of Man? Jesus of course. We know that Jesus will be put on a cross and lifted up. He would have 4 nails driven into his body. He would be naked. Unrecognizable. He would die in the most excruciating and embarrassing way possible. It was reserved for the worst of the worst criminals. The very people who he came to save, shouted crucify HIM! His blood be on us and our children! On that cross Jesus would die taking on all the sin and the punishment we deserved on Himself. And after 3 days He rose again conquering sin, death, and Satan once and for all. verse 15 tells us that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. We are like the Israelites. We are like Korah and the rebellion. We constantly push God aside for our own gain and pleasure. This passage serves as a warning for Christians and non-Christians alike. For those of you who are born again by the blood of Christ on your lives. Here is your challenge. Stop turning back to Egypt. To those things that we took with us once we were saved. Those sins and things we turn to that are not Christ. Be content with where God has you and humble yourself before Him and serve Him willingly wherever it is that He may have you. Lets live all out for Christ bringing others along with us. And for you unbelievers. There is certain punishment awaiting you. If you keep on the path that you are on you will end up like Korah. The Earth swallowing you up and you ending up in Hell. But there is some good news.

English Standard Version Psalm 42

42 TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A MASKIL OF THE SONS OF KORAH.

1  As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

2  My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

3  My tears have been my food

day and night,

while they say to me all the day long,

“Where is your God?”

4  These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

a multitude keeping festival.

5  Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation 6 and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;

therefore I remember you

from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,

from Mount Mizar.

7  Deep calls to deep

at the roar of your waterfalls;

all your breakers and your waves

have gone over me.

8  By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,

and at night his song is with me,

a prayer to the God of my life.

9  I say to God, my rock:

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10  As with a deadly wound in my bones,

my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me all the day long,

“Where is your God?”

11  Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

This Psalm was written by one of the sons of Korah. So his sons chose the salvation God offered them. Get away from this household. They got away and now 11 Psalms are in the Bible from these men. You can accept the salvation God is offering you. Look up. Look up and see Jesus on the cross. Just like the Israelites looked up and saw this serpent on the pole and were saved. We look to Christ on the cross.

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

We look to Christ. We believe and confess that He [aid it all and we accept the gift he offers us of Salvation. Like Revelation chapter 5 tells us. Worthy is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus! Worthy is the lamb who was slain. Jesus is worthy of our lives. 100% of our lives. We need to live all out for Him. Amen