Now Korach קֹרַח, the son of Yitz'har, the son of K'hat, the son of Levi, along with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli'av, and on, the son of Pelet, descendants of Reuven, took men and rebelled against Moshe. Numbers 16:1
What was at the root of such rebellion? Some, place this event before the sin of the explorers and after the sin of Miriam, but others place it after the return of the explorers and the chastisement of the wanderings.
They had reached the desert of Paran, "the vast and fearsome desert, with its poisonous snakes, scorpions and waterless, thirsty ground ..." after having been burnt by the fire at Tabhera , and after the verdict following the sin of the explorers; it is now the grumbling and the refusal to accept correction. Rebellion and blasphemy burst out, good and evil are mixed together: Is it such a mere trifle, bringing us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that now you arrogate to yourself the role of dictator over us? You haven't at all brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, and you haven't put us in possession of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can gouge out these men's eyes and blind them? We won't come up! Numbers 16:13-14
Refusal to recognise one's own wrong, to repent and to willingly accept correction can lead to a worse situation: That which has happened to them agrees with the true proverb: "A dog returns to its own vomit". Yes "The pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud!" 2 Peter 2:22 There are three leaders in this rebellion: Korach, Dathan and Aviram.
These three leaders come from the tribes of Levi and Reuben and it is these two tribes that have always claimed leadership over the nation: Reuben because of his firstborn right, and Levi because of his priestly function. Because of his sin, Reuben lost his firstborn right. He had climbed on his father Yaakov's bed. Added to this, the Levites were chosen instead of the firstborn because of the sin of the golden calf: Adonai said to Moshe, I have taken the Levi'im from among the people of Israel in lieu of every firstborn male that is first from the womb among the people of Israel, the Levi'im are to be mine. Numbers 3:11-12
The royal priesthood has been given to Aaron, but Korach, his cousin, was jealous. What was in fact, the nature of the discussion?
We will see that in spite of the fact that these three names Korach, Dathan and Aviram were united, their claims were different.
The first group, including Korach and 250 men stood before Moshe and Aaron: They assembled themselves against Moshe and Aaron and said to them," You take too much on yourselves! After all, the entire community is holy; every one of them and Adonai is among them. So why do you lift yourselves up above Adonai's assembly?" When Moshe heard this he fell on this face. Then he said to Korach and his whole group, "In the morning, Adonai will show who are his and who is the holy person he will allow to approach him. Yes, he will bring whomever he chooses near to himself. Do this: Take censers, Korach and your entire group; put fire in them; and put incense in them before Adonai tomorrow. The one who Adonai chooses will be the one who is holy! It is you, you sons of Levi, who are taking too much on yourselves!" (Dathan and Aviram were from the tribe of Ruben, not from Levi; Moshe is addressing Korach concerning these things. We will find Dathan and Aviram later in another place in the camp) Numbers 16:3-7
When we consider the test that Moshe wants Korach to pass, that is, to offer incense before Hashem, we understand in fact that this comes back to ask the question of who is allowed to come before G-d.
Korach was actually contending for the first place before the L-rd. He coveted the position of Aaron as High Priest. He was possibly moved by a real desire to serve G-d, but to serve G-d in his own way: Is it for you a mere trifle that the God of Israel has separated you from the community of Israel to bring you close to himself, so that you can do the work in the tabernacle. Of Adonai and stand before the community serving them? He has brought you close and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you. Now you want the office of Cohen too! That's why you and your group have gathered together against Adonai! After all, what is Aharon that you complain against him? Numbers 16:9-10
Korach claimed that all the children of Israel were "holy" and thus were qualified to come before the L-rd.
When and by whom were the incense offered? By the Cohen Gadol, the High Priest. This happened in the Holy of holies on the day of Yom Kippur for the sins of the people: Aaron is to present the bull of the sin offering for himself. He will make atonement for himself and his household; he is to slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before Adonai and, with his hands full of ground, fragrant incense, bring it inside the curtain. He is to put the incense on the fire before Adonai, so that the cloud from the incense will cover the ark-cover which is over the testimony, in order that he not die. Leviticus 16:11-13
This was the privilege of the Cohen Gadol. Had Korach forgotten the story of Nadav and Avihu who offered a strange fire before the L-rd and who died because of it?
Or is it this rebellious spirit in him who was making a way to rebel against the authority of the Great Cohen Gadol, Yeshua HaMashiach, Who once and for all will obtain the forgiveness of the sins of the whole world by offering Himself as a good smelling sacrifice?
Yes, it was in fact the position of Yeshua as the Great Cohen which was, through Korach, the goal of this attack against Aaron.
We find again the incense and its atoning power further in the story when Aaron will bring it into the camp when he ran to stand between the plague and the people. He will stand between the living and the dead and will intercede, and in this way he will again foreshadow the role of Yeshua as intercessor between G-d and men, taking on Himself the wrath that would otherwise have rightly come upon us: Moshe said to Aaron, take your fire pan, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it. And hurry with it to the assembly to make atonement for them, because anger has gone out from Adonai and the plague has already begun! Aaron took it, as Moshe had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. There the plague had already begun among the people, but he added the incense and made atonement for the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. Numbers 17:12, 13 (16:46-48)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners. Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God's judgment! Romans 5:8-9
Whoever trusts in the Son has eternal life. But whoever disobeys the Son will not see that life but remains subject to God's wrath. John 3:36
For God has not intended that we should experience his fury, but that we should gain deliverance though our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, 1 Thessalonians 5:9
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