AS WE who have followed the history of Israel well know, the people had many times rebelled against the Lord. But now a special rebellion arose against Moses and Aaron. Korah, Dathan and Abiram were the leaders in this rebellion, and two hundred and fifty of the princes of the assembly were leagued with them in it. Envy, because of the place that Moses and Aaron held, seems to have been the moving cause of the trouble. These men told Moses and Aaron that they took too much upon, themselves, and set themselves up too high, and that the Lord was among all of them, and all of them were holy.
Oh, what language from a people whose course had been sin upon sin—murmuring, complaint, rebellion, unbelief, presumption and idolatry! Such a people calling themselves holy!
We have in our own day self-deceived ones who call themselves “holy” while others can see plenty of failure in their ways. But these are not characterized by envy as those who spoke to Moses were.
This sad affair put Moses on his face again. He told Korah and his company that the Lord would show them on the morrow who were His, and who were holy. He exposed what was in Korah’s heart, showing that he was seeking the priesthood, and told him that he and his company were gathered together against the Lord. He told them each to take his censer and put fire in it and incense on it before the Lord on the morrow, and the man that the Lord would “choose, he should be holy. And he sent to call Dathan and Abiram, but they refused to go to him, and sent very taunting, reproachful word to him. This made Moses very angry, and he asked the Lord not to respect their offerings.
When the morrow came, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on, the fire, and went and stood in the door of the tabernacle with Moses and Aaron. And Korah gathered all the people with him. Then the glory of the Lord appeared, and God told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation that He might consume them in a moment. But again Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, and pleaded with the Lord for that poor, erring people. Then the Lord told Moses to tell the people to get away from the tents of the wicked men who had raised the rebellion, and not to touch anything of theirs lest they be consumed in all their sins. So they got away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side.
ML 05/29/1904