A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 16 (Part 3)

Numbers 16:36-40—36 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 37 "Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. 38 The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel." 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, 40 to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the LORD had said to him through Moses. The golden censers, although carried by ungodly men to rebel against God, had nonetheless been consecrated to God, and were to be reserved for the service to God. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy. Since they had been profaned by not only these men, but by their ashes that were left after God burned them, they could not be used for the ministry of reconciliation, but they could not simply be discarded. So Aaron’s son Eleazar forged them into a covering for the altar, to remind the people that it was God who determined who would be priests and prophets, and that only men from the tribe of Levi were called to be priests. And when they see this plate, they would also be reminded of the judgment that God delivers to those who mock Him. So that every time the people came to bring a Burnt Offering, and every time the priests burned these offerings, they would remember that it is God who makes the rules, and not man. 

And after this incident, the people never complained, and went happily forward toward the Promised Land. Right? Numbers 16:41—On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the LORD." What more can I say about this? These people never stopped complaining! He led them to the Red Sea, where they complained and God delivered them. They complained because there was bitter water at Marah, and He made it pure. They complained because there was no food in the Wilderness of Sin, and He gave them manna. They complained because the manna spoiled overnight, even though they were told not to keep it until morning. They complained because no manna came down on the Sabbath, even though they were told that would be the case. They complained because there was no water at Rephidim, so He made water come from the rock. They complained against Him and convinced Aaron to make the Golden Calf. They complained against Him at Taberah, until He had to burn up the outskirts of the camp. They complained because “all we have to eat is this manna!”, so He sent them quail. They complained because, even though the report came back that it was a good land God was leading them to, “we looked like grasshoppers compared to the people there!”

And even now, when God displays His holiness and wrath and destroys those who would seek to usurp the callings of Moses and Aaron, what do the people do? They complain. And even now, are we any different? We go through one trial, and God delivers us. Then we have another trial come up, and what do we do? We complain. We often forget the goodness of God, that He will bring us through trials and deliver us, maybe not in the way we want, but in the way we need. James 1:2-3—2 Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And recall, patience is a fruit of the Spirit. If you have God’s Holy Spirit living in you, God will use the trials you go through to produce the fruit of patience. And if we have patience, the world will know we truly belong to Christ. 

Numbers 16:42-50—42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. 44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 "Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." And they fell on their faces. 46 So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun." 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. 50 So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped. Had Moses killed Korah and Dathan and Abiram? No. How had these 250 men perished? Moses did not part the earth and cause the men to fall into it. Moses did not send fire down from above and consume them. These men did dot perish by the hand of Moses, but by the wrath and power of God. 

So really, the people were not complaining against Moses, but against God. And it is the common theme of atheists today. “See that? God is a vindictive, bloodthirsty monster who is full of nothing but petty anger, and wants to hog all the glory! And He doesn’t exist so I hate Him!” Makes as much sense as these people and their constant complaining. But here we see the difference between offerings made by the ungodly versus offerings made by those whom God has chosen. What happened to those who offered incense with Korah and Dathan and Abiram? The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up… And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense. Those men were destroyed by the hand of God. Why? Because they offered up incense wrongly, and like Nadab and Abihu, God had to show that His ways are the only ways. But what happened when Aaron offered up incense? Did the earth open up; did fire come down from Heaven to consume him? No. The plague was stopped. Simple. A man of God offered up prayers to God for the people and God stayed His wrath because of that. And just as Jesus asked forgiveness for the very ones who drove the nails (Luke 23:34), so here Aaron seeks God’s face to grant forgiveness to the very ones who were just complaining against him. We read about the humility and patience of Moses, but let us also remember the patience and humility of Aaron. 

And even the atheist, whose heart is set against God and His people, is not far from the love of God. “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Does Paul catechize them? Does he go into a long soliloquy about all the things he must do to be delivered from the kingdom of Satan to God’s? Does He go point-by-point through a long list of good deeds he must do to earn the favor of the Almighty? No. His answer is quite simple. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). We humans make things so complicated. Do you want to be saved from the wrath to come? Believe. Do you want to be delivered from your sins? Believe. Are you sick and tired of being held down by the weight of the burden you carry? Believe. As Alistair Begg said of the man on the cross to the right of Jesus, how do we get to Heaven? “The Man on the Middle Cross said I could come”. Just as the people in our text had a High Priest who would seek atonement for the people, so we too have a High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us (Romans 8:24; Hebrews 7:25). But how do we make known to Him the things we need? Friend, remember, He is God. He is our Father. He knows what you need before you even ask (Matthew 6:8, 32; Luke 12:30). “But I never know what to say”. Doesn’t matter, He knows! And if you do not know what to say, the Holy Spirit does. Romans 8:26—Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Think on this: we have a great and faithful Father, who knows how to give good things to His children (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13). We need the good things He gives. And not only do we ask Him, but we have the Holy Spirit asking and our Great High Priest Jesus Christ asking as well. Friend! What more could a person need? What better way to finish up this chapter than to quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, from his sermon “The High Priest Standing Between the Dead and the Living” (Numbers 16:47-48):

 

Well, you note again that Aaron, in thus coming forward as the deliverer and lover of His people, must have remembered that he was abhorred by this very people. They were seeking his blood. They were desiring to put him and Moses to death, and yet in spite of all thoughts of danger, he snatches up his censer and runs into their midst with a Divine enthusiasm in his heart…Into the midst of the crowd he boldly springs. Most blessed Jesus, You might not only think thus, but, indeed, You did feel it to be true. You did come unto Your own and Your own received You not. ..Jesus, You were willing to die a martyr, that You might be made a sacrifice for those by whom Your blood was spilt. Jesus transcends Aaron—Aaron might have feared death at the hands of the people—Jesus Christ did actually meet it. And yet there he stood even in the hour of death, waving his censer, staying the plague and dividing the living from the dead. 

Father, let us never seek for ourselves an office or a mantle that You Yourself do not give. Let us never seek greater for ourselves than what You will. May we always fear You, that that fear may keep us from sin and pride, that we may not be puffed up, that we may always be humble in Your sight. May we always flee from those who would lead us into sin and rebellion and death. May we never complain against You, even when things are at their worst, so that we may always see You as YHVH-Yireh, the One who provides. And may we always see Your justice as perfect, consuming all your foes, those who run to do iniquity and cause You name to be blasphemed. 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Tedstament Law--Numbers 16 (Part 1)

Numbers 16:1-3—1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with 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 some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" 

Ever see the movie “The Ten Commandments”? Used to watch it every Easter when it would come on ABC. And every Easter, Charlton Heston led me to the Lord. Haha. Well, when I started studying the Bible, I realized the movie wasn’t really true to the Scriptures in some areas. This is one of those areas. Dathan was played by Edward G. Robinson, and in the movie this episode we are looking at took place right after the Golden Calf episode. So the writers kinda mixed up and muddled up the sequence of events for dramatic license. Just wanted to get that out of the way. Here we see again a murmuring against what God has commanded. He put Moses in charge, and Aaron as the High Priest. But this band of rebels was not happy with that. They looked at Moses and Aaron as taking these mantles upon themselves. "You take too much upon yourselves…Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" And they were not happy at how Moses and Aaron were running things, and this band thought they were just as entitled to run things as Moses and Aaron. But that is not what God commanded. God had a certain way He wanted things done, and these men were rebelling against that command. And we will see the consequences of his actions later. Suffice it to say it is never good to rebel against what God has ordained. 

So what can we learn from this today? We learn that God has set up an organization for how He wants the church set up. We find this organization in Ephesians 4:11—And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Notice what Paul says. He Himself gave some to be. In other words, God is the one who appoints those who are apostles, prophets, etc. Those who are in these positions, and are truly apostles, prophets, etc., do not take these mantles upon themselves. But don’t we see Korah’s type of rebellion today; when a member of a church thinks he (or she) can do a better job than the one pastoring that particular flock, and decides to plant seeds of doubt among the members? Again, a pastor also does not (or should not) take that office upon himself lightly. For if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work (1st Timothy 1:3). The amount of time involved in shepherding a flock—the time spent studying the Scriptures for what the people need to hear, the time visiting the sick and infirm, the time spent in meetings to determine how to spend the church’s funds—is more than many can bear, more than any rabble-rousers can imagine, and can take a toll on that preacher and his family. It is no small thing to shepherd a flock! So you can only imagine the tolls it took on Moses and Aaron top lead almost a million people from Egypt, through the desert, to the land God promised them. Which is why God was so patient with Moses in the times he cried to Him and bemoaned his situation—it was no small thing to lead this group of grumblers and backbiters, when there were scarce resources and there was scorching heat and the threat of those in the surrounding land to come upon them. 

But Korah thought it was. He and those with him thought they could lead this mass of people through the desert just as well as Moses could, and that anyone could minister to God as well as Aaron did. Numbers 16:4-7—4 So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. 6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!" In verse 7, Moses turns Korah’s argument back on him, by saying that Korah and his band have taken too much upon themselves. And he’s right. When it says in Numbers 12:3 that no one was more humble than Moses, that was the absolute truth. And he had to be. A man who was proud in his heart could not lead this bunch of grumblers through the desert, or his pride would puff him up and he would leave them all behind and take God up on His offer to wipe them all out and start over with that person. And what glory would God get out of that? (Numbers 14:13-19). 

And in keeping with this idea, what is the first thing Moses does when Korah makes his claim? So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face. So many of us would be angry with these people, since God just told them in Numbers 14 that because they have grumbled against Him so many times that they would not enter the Promised Land. This time, it wasn’t grumbling because of food or water or the giants in the land, it was the grumblings of a handful of men who let one thing overtake them: pride. And if Moses was a prideful man, he and Korah would end up throwing hands against one another. But what does Moses do? He humbles himself and bows his face to the earth and instantly gets a word from the Lord, that they should let God decide who the Prophet and High Priest really are. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. Here again we see the principle of Election, that God chooses who will be His and who will be chosen to perform the duties of ministering between the people and God, as Moses says again in verses 6-7—6 Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. In this way, Moses was letting Korah and company know that he was not making the decision, but God. 

Remember back in Leviticus 11, when Nadab and Abihu brought a different incense to burn before God, and He burned them up on the spot? Wasn’t Moses that did that, wasn’t Gershom, wasn’t Eleazar. It was God. Why? Because they did something in a way that God did not approve of. And in the same way, Korah and company were to bring a censer of coals and Aaron was to bring a censer of coals, and God would make the decision. Many people these days think it is some kind of badge of honor to say “Only God can judge me!” And they say it in an almost prideful manner, as if God will excuse their sins. But when someone says “Only God can judge me”, they should be ready for Him, because one thing is certain—He will!

 

And Korah decided also to cast his lot on his own righteousness, rather than acknowledging that He chose Aaron to be High Priest. And even today, we have those who will rail against God’s people, thinking that they themselves are better than the people of God. Paul says in Romans 8:33—Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Korah laid a charge against the men God had chosen, and thought he could get away with it. How brazen must he have been! How prideful! To think that God would turn His back on the man He chose to be High Priest, and accept this prideful man who boasted against God’s elect! This even more clearly emphasizes the point made in Numbers 12:3, that the man Moses was very humble! 

Numbers 16:8-11—8 Then Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?” Korah and company thought it was an easy task to lead almost one million souls from Egypt, to Sinai, around the Sinai Peninsula, through the Wilderness of Paran, to a land which the people did not know. And from the human side, Korah and company were treating their election by God as a minute thing—that God had chosen them to be His, that God had chosen them to perform their assigned duties in the Tabernacle, that God had chosen them to act as mediator between the people and God. And now they want more? Now they want to be the ones in charge of the Tabernacle? A position that God Himself chose Aaron for, flawed as he was? This rank jealousy coming from Levites, the ones who were to stand before God and present unblemished sacrifices. How could they stand before God with such a heart polluted by the same sin that caused Satan to be cast out of Heaven, when he declared 13 “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14). What do you read over and over again in this passage? I…I…I…… And just as it was Satan exalting himself above the seat of God, here we see Korah—not Moses and Aaron—exalting himself and those with him above the judgment of God. 

”Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD.” Ouch. This would have been the time for Korah and company to fold their hands and admit that they were in no position to question God. They could have, as Moses, fallen on their faces and begged forgiveness from the Most High, and they may have been struck with leprosy or may have incurred some other punishment from God. As Jesus said of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-31—28 "A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' 29 He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" Here, we see that God had two sons—Moses and Korah—We know Moses did the will of God. And here, Korah could have been like the first Son in Jesus’ parable—going against the will of the Father, then regretting it and submitting to God’s will. But he didn’t. Much like the wicked men of Sodom in Genesis 19:11, they kept groping for the door of sin and like the men of Sodom, they would face consequences. Well said is it in Proverbs 16:18—Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Dathan was a prideful man, and he (and those who followed him) would experience a fall like no other! 

Numbers 16:12-14—12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come up! 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? 14 Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!" Again we see the longing for slavery. Edward G. Robinson—I mean, Dathan—and Abiram saw their time in bondage as a time of freedom. They could eat what they wanted, they could do what they wanted, they could play however they wanted—all they had to do was dance in the mud and put up statues to honor the pagan gods. Just like today, when we come to know Christ and even confess Him as Lord and Savior, and something comes up that tests our patience, or is disagreeable to us, we can be tempted to seek to go back to the mire we were taken out of, because we see that as easier than following Christ and accepting of the trial we are in. Or we are tempted by something we used to enjoy, and we think “ya know, if it wasn’t for Jesus, I could enjoy that again.” Instead of seeing that trial or temptation as a way to show that we are actually in a better place than we were in, and to give God the glory we see it as God not being fair, and we say that God has not made our lives easier. But here’s the problem—knowing Christ and following Him may not bring instant joy and deliverance from trials. In fact, the trials may become more intense, But don’t let that dissuade you from following Him. Rather, we should use these trials as a way to depend on Him even more. James 1:2—My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. Are you in a financial bind? Ask God how to get through this. Do you have wayward children? Ask God to set them on the correct path. Did you lose your job? Ask God where to seek employment and follow His guiding. But in all these things, ask that His will be done (Matthew 6:10), because His will may be different than your will. 

And be patient. James 1:3—Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. This was one thing Dathan and Abiram were sorely lacking in. “You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards.” No, they had not come to the land flowing with milk and honey—YET. But they would get there! And it would be a far better place than their time in bondage in Egypt! It has been said that every prayer of the saints is heard by God, and He answers them all. Sometimes the answer is “yes”, sometimes the answer is “no”, sometimes the answer is “wait”. Galatians 5:22—The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering… Patience. Wait on the Lord. David says this in Psalm 27:14—Wait, I say, on the LORD! In our day and age it is hard to be patient. So many things and people around us demanding our attention. So often we are out somewhere and we are behind a slower car, or an elderly couple in the aisle or the checkout at the grocery store. Or maybe we have to wait for five seconds for someone to move out of our way. Our reaction can show who we really are. Do we get angry, and huff and puff? Not only is that impatience, but also displays a bit of pride. “Where I have to go is more important than these people!” Perhaps by slowing you down by five seconds, God may be saving your life! In her song “Granny’s angel”, Nicole C. Mullen posits such a thought in her song “Granny’s Angel”: 

Stuck in traffic, at a quarter ‘til nine

Shirley’s cursin’ “Oops! Is that fatal wreck on my side?

No compassion, ‘cause she don’t realize

Had she been any earlier

BOOM! It would have been her life 

Thing is that no, the people of Israel were not in the Promised Land. But they were getting there. Wait, I say, on the LORD! Abraham Kuyper once said “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Not only does that speak of all of the physical universe, but it also speaks of time. There is not a year our month or week or day or hour or minute or second over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!” God could have very easily stopped their mouths and their grumbling and complaining but He didn’t. Why? I don’t know, but He had His reasons. More than likely, He was weeding out those whom He knew were not fit for the Promised Land. Just like when He told Gideon to not go against the Midianites and Amalekites and people of the East with the 32,000 or the 10,000 but only the 300 faithful men. 

Not only was He weeding out the unfaithful and backbiting, He was also doing it for His glory. See, God does not get glory in victory by large numbers, but by strengthening the hands and minds of the few. Remember, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the whole city celebrated. By the time He gave up His life, the city had turned on Him. In the old hymn “Man of Sorrows, What a Name”, P. P. Bliss states: 

Lifted up was He to die;

"It is finished" was his cry; 

He was lifted up on the cross by those who opposed God. Forsaken even by those who followed Him and knew Him as the Son of God. Only John was left, and Jesus sent him away as well. As Isaiah said, 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted…He was led as a lamb to the slaughter…8 He was taken from prison and from judgment…For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken (Isaiah 53:7-8). What glory could come from one Man, beaten and mocked, dying alone on a cross, put to shame for the world to see? Well, this was not just any man. This was the holy, righteous, perfect Son of God. And what had He done that was deserving of death? Why was He beaten and mocked? What blasphemy had He uttered? Oh no friend, it was not because of any sin He committed, for the Son of God did no sin, nor did He even think of doing any sin. In fact, He was put to death for us. For you. For me. For your neighbor. And God took His Son, battered and broken, from the tomb, raised Him up to sit at His right hand, to rule over all creation. The hymn goes on: 

Now in heaven exalted high:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

When he comes, our glorious King,

All his ransomed home to bring,

Then anew this song we'll sing:

Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

How dare any of us think that just because He has not yet returned that His promise is null and void? How dare we think that just because we are still stuck on this rock that our lives are for naught? We have the promise of our risen Lord that He will return, and that every eye will see Him, that the mouths of the unbelieving will be stopped, and that we who Know Him will be brought safely into our promised reward. But we have to be patient, and Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Part 2 next week

Jesus Christ is Lord

Amen.