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This week our parasha is Korach, named after the man who started a rebellion against Moses. Parasha Korach covers Numbers 16:1-18:32. In this parasha we see what happens when we attempt to force God to obey our desires and thinking and the devastation that it brings.
We begin in chapter 16 with Korach or Korah, a Levite, leading 250 men to rebel against Moses. Among these men were those part of the judging council and they were considered respected leaders among the people. The rebels argued that if all of Israel was holy and the Lord was with each person, why was Aaron and Moses at the top and only Aaron’s family allowed to offer sacrifices? What they really desired was to overthrow Aaron and Moses’s leadership and take it for themselves because they believed they could do better.
Moses responded by asking Korah and these men to act on what they were claiming. He told Korah and his followers to return tomorrow with censers and offer incense to the Lord. Aaron would also make an offering to the Lord. If Korah and his followers deserved to lead then the Lord would choose them and show they were as holy as they claimed. While these rebels thought they were just fighting with Moses and Aaron, they are reminded that they are going up against the Lord, who is the sole reason Moses and Aaron have their leadership positions.
Moses also attempted to give instructions to two of the other leaders, Dathan and Abiram, but they refused to acknowledge his authority and complained about his leadership.
The next day Korah and his followers gathered on one side of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron on the opposite. It was now time for the Lord to show who was truly in charge, with the presence of the Lord appearing to everyone. He told Moses and Aaron to have everyone move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
Moses turned to our people and said that if these men die naturally then he was not sent by the Lord. But if the Lord opens up the ground and swallows them and everything they own, then it is proof that Moses was sent by the Lord and these men have sinned against Adonai.
Right as he finished speaking the Lord acted by opening up the ground and swallowing up the leaders of the rebellion, their tents, and their families, then closing the ground again. Everyone began to panic and worry they were going to die as well and then fire came down from heaven and burned up the 250 men attempting to offer incense.
In the aftermath of this event the censors that were used were considered holy because of what the Lord had done. So they were hammed into sheets to be placed on the altar as a memorial that no one should attempt to violate the Lord’s commands and assume they can go above the Lord.
You would think after this display of Adonai’s power our people would understand that the Lord was in control but sadly this is not the case. The next day all the people began to grumble and say that Moses and Aaron had killed the Lord’s people, apparently many were sympathetic to Korah and the rebels. When they went to seize Moses and Aaron the presence of the Lord was shown again and a plague began to kill our people. Almost 15,000 died before Aaron was able to make atonement for our people and show once again that his place as high priest was ordained by the Lord.
Chapter 17 records Adonai’s final word on who was to be of the priesthood. He instructed Moses to have every leader of each tribe put their name on a staff and Aaron to put his name on the one for the tribe of Levi. The staffs were placed in the Lord’s presence and the one that budded with flowers would show who was to be of the priesthood. Aaron’s staff budded and it was then placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a perpetual sign that Aaron’s family were to be the priests of Israel. All our people saw this sign to end their rebellious attitudes.
Our parasha ends with chapter 18 which records the duties and offerings for the priests and Levites.
Korah’s rebellion is one of the most remembered events in our people’s history for a very good reason. It serves as an everlasting reminder what happens when we attempt to assert our wills above the Lord’s. Moses and Aaron were not without their faults, but regardless of their personal sins it was wrong to attempt to overthrow those God had clearly chosen to lead. Korah and his rebels probably believed they were doing the right thing, they were convinced that their plans were proper. The rebels were clearly well liked, well respected, and considered wise enough to be judges. But the fact they had to twists Adonai’s commands about being holy to justify taking control of the priesthood shows the sinfulness of what they were doing. They were willing to go to sinfully extreme lengths to get what they wanted. There is a saying that no one believes themselves to be the villain, we can perform some amazing mental gymnastics to justify our actions.
So parasha Korach teaches us how important it is to discern through God’s truth if everything that we do is right. Unfortunately, we can be just like Korah and twist God’s word to justify our selfish desires and personal theology, simply look at many sinful theologies taught today. It is important that the more we grow in scripture, the more we check ourselves to make sure we are not violating the Lord’s clear command with theological gymnastics.
May the Lord enable us of to learn from Korah’s rebellion the importance of submitting our wills to His infinitely better one. May the Lord also vindicate and shelter us when we are unjustly attacked for following His commandments.