Korah’s Rebellion
Korah (3) is the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi. He leads a rebellion against Aaron, Moses . . . and God. It’s called Korah’s rebellion.
The descendants of Levi are set apart from the rest of the Israelites for a special role. They are to work in the tabernacle and assist the priests in ministering to the people. But this isn’t enough for Korah. He wants to be a priest too.
He brings with him three men from the tribe of Reuben. They are Dathan, Abiram, and On. And they rally 250 men to join them. They all want to serve as priests and don’t feel this role is only for descendants of Aaron.
Though they may be doing this to elevate themselves into a more prominent position, they could also have pure motives, wanting to serve God more fully. Yet this doesn’t make it right.
Korah challenges Moses. Distraught, Moses proposes a spiritual showdown.
The next day, Korah and his followers are to each take a censer with fire and incense to present to the Lord. Aaron will do the same. Then God will pick who he wants.
The actions and attitudes of Korah and his followers displease God. He reacts immediately. The ground opens and swallows Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, their families, and their possessions.
Then God sends fire from heaven to consume the 250 men offering incense. It marks the end of Korah’s rebellion.
God makes it clear he wants only Aaron (and later his descendants) to serve him as priest.
When have our spiritual aspirations not pleased God?
How can we discern when to strive for more and when to be content with the position God has given us?
[Read about Korah in Numbers 16. Discover more in Exodus 6:18–24.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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