Our Mediator

Numbers 16:1-3

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram they get together 250 chiefs to rise up against Moses and Aaron.

There argument was “everyone is holy, why are you special and get to lead?”

At first this seems like a good thing that they want. They desire to be close to God and want to know why it is Moses that gets to be close.

But as you read the passage, you begin to see and understand that no, he desires the whole priest hood for honor and glory.

Korah was a Levit from the clan of Kohath. Aaron and Moses were Levit’s from the clan of Kohath.

Korah get’s to be close to God, he gets to serve in the temple. But He desires the leadership that Moses and Aaron have.

Dathan and Abiram were from the tribe of Reuben. Reuben being the oldest they probably thought that it was their place to rule.

Forgetting on Jacob’s death bed he said that Reuben was “unstable as water, and shall not have preeminence.” (Genesis 49:4)

These were discussions that led to bitterness, that lead to them raising up others to revolt against Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 16:12-14

Dathan and Abiram wouldn’t come and meet with in front of the tabernacle.

They said that Moses made himself a leader, took them from a good land, and now hasn’t delivered on the promise to bring them into a good land.

Numbers 16:28-32

The Lord swallows up Korah in the ground. This is a sign so that others will know that they serve God.

Numbers 16:41

The next day they say that Moses had killed the people, and that they were of the LORD.

Numbers 17:1-5

God has a plan to cease the people’s grumblings against Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 17:8

Aaron’s staff bore ripe almonds.

The dead stick, had life go back into it, with an accelerated process and bore almonds.

The almond was a tree known as a waker, or a watcher.

It was the first tree to blossom, showing that spring was on the way.

Everything that had been dead, was now all coming to life.

God was using Aaron to bring life and restoration in the community of Israel.

Numbers 17:10

The staff was kept in the ark, as a sign against the rebels.

This was so that they would remember, that it is not by the choice or power of man, but by the sovereign choice of God who will be His mediator.

Numbers 17:11-13

The first word is we perish.

In the Hebrew, it means we perish, we die.

It is repeated twice (1) I think to emphasize it, and (2) to make a chiasm or a sandwich.

The reason’s why they will perish is contained in the middle.

We are undone, undone.

This is to draw special attention to the word. To emphasize the importance of the statement.

The word is abad and it is used to signify God’s destruction of evil.

They are understanding that their nature is evil, and God is holy.

They cannot come into the presence of the holy being evil.

Who comes near

This means those who draw close, in this case to something holy.

The sandwich closes with the statement we shall perish again wrapping up the statement, but also showing our need to draw close to God.

We are like moths drawn to the bug zapper.

When we catch a glimpse of that which is holy, it terrifies us. But we also are struck with awe and have a strange need and desire to draw closer to it.

The Holiness of God

Before this, the people had forgotten about the holiness of God.

Then we see the people trampling the good gifts of God. Saying that when God brought them out of Egypt, He took them from a land flowing with milk and honey.

This is a slap in the face to almighty God.

They had forgotten who they were rebuking.

The God who descended on Mount Sinai in fire.

The sons of Korah believed that they had the right to come before God, and choose for themselves who would be the mediator.

They had forgotten about the holiness of God.

Habakkuk 1:13a

Habakkuk 1:13a ESV

13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?

God cannot look at wrong.

They were blatantly defying God.

Through opening the ground, sending fire from heaven, and causing the staff to bloom, the people realized the holiness of God.

They realized that they could not reach Him on their own.

They realized that they needed a mediator.

Need For a Mediator

Because we cannot directly approach the glory of God.

There needed to be a go between, someone who would stand before the glory of God, protecting the people from their own sin so they wouldn’t be destroyed.

Numbers 16:46 the people defy God again. Because of His holiness, a plague goes out and begins to kill the people.

Aaron is then sent as a mediator, to stand between the people and the holiness of God.

Armed with incense, to in essence hide the people and their sins from His glory that was destroying sinful people who had defied the living God.

Aaron made atonement for the people. He mediated between them and God.

Things haven’t changed that much.

We are all sinful people.

Some think that is just depressing, believing that we are evil.

It is a wonderful thing to recognize that I am sinful.

Then I recognize that God is holy.

When I remember that He is holy, I remember that I need a mediator.

I won’t fall for the trap that Korah fell for, believing that He was worthy to stand before God.

I’ve heard Christians fall for this trap.

I’m good, I’m loved, I’m blessed.

Not if we are outside of Christ.

We weren’t good people in need of a little bit of polishing by Jesus to make us look good to God.

We were miserable, wretches, evil, dead in our sins and trespasses. But God because of His rich mercy, loved us and made us alive, with Jesus as our mediator we are holy and acceptable, lovely in the eyes of God.

God Chooses Our Mediator

In this passage, we not only see the need for a mediator. But the budding of Aaron’s staff shows us that God chooses His mediator.

This isn’t a choice that man can decide on.

People were destroyed because they had decided that they wanted to choose their own mediator. But it doesn’t work that way.

God made Aaron’s staff blossom to show the others, that this was the one whom God had chosen.

1 Timothy 2:5

1 Timothy 2:5 ESV

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

He is the only mediator between us and God.

In Catholicism they go to the virgin Mary and the other saints, or to the priests.

They are not sufficient mediators. We can go directly to Jesus and he is the only mediator.

When we think of Aaron’s staff, remember that God chooses our mediator.

John 3:16

God loved us, that He gave us a mediator.

Knowing that because He is holy, we couldn’t reach Him. He came to us, and made a way for us to be with Him.