Tragedy at the Tabernacle, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram's Rebellion
Introduction: The Bible records events of people and nations at their best—and at their worst. Numbers 16 has a story that frankly didn’t have to happen. The LORD had already said who could do what in regards to the worship activities of those days. That wasn’t enough for some of the people, though: some flat out rebelled but, as it turned out, they paid dearly for doing so.
1 The Challenge
Text, Numbers 16:1-3, KJV: 1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and 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 certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
These first verses give the names of the rebels. Oddly enough, one of them, Korah, was a cousin of Aaron and Moses! Korah’s father, Izhar, was the second of Kohath’s sons while Amram, the firstborn, was father of Aaron, Moses, and their older sister Miriam (1 Chronicles 6:1-2). Now, the LORD had promised Aaron that he and his descendants, alone, would be priests to the LORD. The rest of the Kohathites had the privilege of handling the Ark of the Covenant, although they were forbidden to see it, plus other duties (Numbers 4:1-20). The sons of Merari and Gershon, Levi’s other two sons, had other duties which the LORD spelled out plainly in Numbers 4. In a word, all priests were Levites, sons of Levi, but not all Levites were priests: only Aaron and his descendants had that privilege and responsibilities.
The challenge, and I have to confess it’s not clear to me what these men were protesting, seems to be that Aaron and the other sons of Levi were “lifting themselves up above the congregation of the LORD (verse 3, paraphrased)” and that all of the congregation were holy (the word meant set apart or dedicated, etc. (see https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6918.htm). That statement was as wrong as could be, as Miriam and Aaron confronted Moses, resulting in Miriam becoming a leper, temporarily (Numbers 12); the ten spies convincing most of the nation that bondage in Egypt was better than blessings in Canaan (Num. 13-14), resulting in a 40-year detour; and a man had been put to death for gathering sticks on the Sabbath day (Num 15:32-36). So, the claim that all Israel was holy was, in a word, wrong!
After this, the accusers had to come up with something, I suppose, and said, “Why do you lift yourselves up above the LORD’s congregation?” This doesn’t make sense to me, as the LORD had chosen Moses and Aaron, and the sons of Aaron, plus the Levites, to perform the various acts of worship, offerings, sacrifice, and the like. Remember that under the Law, the LORD made great promises to Israel, both good and bad: blessings when they obeyed Him: but problems when they didn’t do so. Besides, they were already starting their 40-year series of wanderings for their disbelief and disobedience at Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 13-14)!
All right, then. The rebels had thrown down their challenge, but what would happen next?
2 The Concern
Text, Numbers 16:4-6, KJV: 4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: 5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
-Moses’ concern for the nation
After Moses heard the words of the rebels’ challenge, he did something wise: he fell on his face. This seems to be the first time he did so even though we’re not told why at this moment. One thing was likely simmering beneath the surface, to borrow a phrase, and that was the memory Moses must have had when Israel had just recently rebelled (witness the golden calf, Exodus 32; and their “back-to-Egypt” protest in Numbers 14.This challenge must have caused Moses a great deal of concern, for them, and for the nation. Moses knew God didn’t tolerate rebellion and my hunch is that Moses was afraid of what the LORD might do to Israel.
-Moses’ concern for the rebels
Verses 4-6 have the record of how Moses showed concern for the rebels. After all, they were fellow Israelites and Korah was a cousin of Moses and Aaron, as noted. One might wonder about the Levi family get-togethers and how all the children got along (or, maybe, didn’t!). Besides, Korah was one of the sons of Kohath and they had some very special privileges when it came time to take down the tabernacle (after all, it was mostly a tent).
We don’t know much about the Reubenites mentioned but at any rate, some of them joined Korah and others in this rebellion. The 250 princes of the assembly aren’t named but they too were drawn to this even though the reasons (excuses?) seem odd or flimsy to us. Even so, things were shaping up for a contest of some kind and Moses, true to his calling as Israel’s leader, refused to back down from such a challenge. Now there was going to be a contest to see and to prove who was right, and who was wrong.
And that contest would take place the very next day.
3 The Contest
Text, Numbers 16:6-11, KJV: 6 This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; 7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. 8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: 9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? 10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? 11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
Moses proposed a contest to prove, beyond any doubt, who was right and who was wrong. He requested all the grieved parties to take censers (a type of “pan” to hold fire, incense, or perhaps other things, see https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4289.htm) and stand near the tabernacle. For what it’s worth, there isn’t a description in Scripture of the size, dimensions, etc., for these censers but we can rest assured they were made according to the pattern the LORD gave Moses on Mt Sinai.
But no matter the size or shape, these censers had incense placed in (on?) them. At least, for Korah and apparently some of those with him: Dathan and Abiram had something else to say.
4 The Confrontation
Text, Numbers 16:12-14, KJV: 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: 13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
Dathan and Abiram, as noted, were of the tribe of Reuben, and during the wilderness journey they camped south of the tabernacle, along with the tribes of Simeon and Gad (Numbers 2:10-16). We’re never told just how far from the Tabernacle the various tents were pitched but it seems Dathan and Abiram got the message from Moses in a hurry.
The sad thing is, they said not just “no”, but ‘There’s no way we’re going to meet you”. Their justification for doing this, incredibly, was, “You promised to bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey but look where we are now!” They also complained about not having fields and vineyards; they left out one point, though: they forgot they, and the 10 spies, led the nation into rebellion and received the sentence of 38 years wandering in the wilderness. So, apparently in their eyes, they felt vindicated in saying, “You want us to come up? We’re not doing it!”
Confrontations don’t usually work, and in this case, as is sometimes said, it backfired badly.
5 The Confirmation
Text, Numbers 16:15-19, KJV: 15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. 16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: 17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. 18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
Moses had heard a lot of harsh talk from Korah and his allies, plus an insult from Dathan and Abiram plus their allies too. Needless to say, Moses was furious and asked the LORD to have no respect to their offering. Scripture doesn’t record any instance where Moses took anything by force, certainly not anyone’s livestock. Was he justified, or right, in uttering this prayer? It’s important to remember Moses and Israel didn’t live under today’s dispensation of grace, but under the Law. In a word, Moses was crying for justice as he was trying to maintain the situation and not let things get out of control.
After this, Moses did make a confirmation with Korah and “all his company”, each to have his own censer holding fire and incense. Something unusual happened, because when they all got to the door of the Tabernacle, the glory of the LORD appeared!
Something, then, was about to happen.
6 The Climax
-The LORD’s first pronouncement
Text, Numbers 16:20-22, KJV: 20 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. 22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
The rebellion had gone on longer than needed (are any of them really necessary?) and now the LORD spoke directly to Moses and Aaron. The LORD told them in so many words that He was ready to destroy the whole congregation. This wasn’t the first time, either: not long before, when Moses was on Mt Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, Israel had lapsed (jumped?) into idol worship. The golden calf was enough to make the LORD furious, but Moses interceded for them (see Exodus 32 for the complete story).
Here again, Moses and Aaron pleaded with the LORD to spare the nation. They made their appeal to Him by saying, “Will You be angry with the whole congregation of Israel simply because one man sinned?” We don’t know—it isn’t mentioned here—who that “one man” was, but he could have been Korah (he had certainly sinned here), Aaron (who had sinned at least twice before) or Moses himself as well. The point is that the whole congregation shouldn’t have to pay or risk destruction (God’s wrath is destruction enough!) because of one person’s sin.
-The LORD’s second pronouncement
Text, Numbers 16:23-30, KJV: 23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. 27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. 28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. 30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
Things were beginning to move rapidly, now. The LORD had apparently accepted the intercession from Moses and Aaron, withdrawing His (justified) decision to wipe out the entire nation. Now He gives some clear directions, again through Moses.
The first thing was for the people to get away from the “tabernacle, tent or dwelling places of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4908.htm).” Moses relayed that message to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel traveling with him. Then Moses gave the final warning:”Get away from the tents of these wicked men and don’t even touch anything of theirs—if you do, you’ll be consumed along with them in their sins.”
Now the people who believed Moses did exactly what he said. They left the areas near the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. We’re not told how much of a distance between their tents and where the people now stood, but it’s reasonable to think there was plenty of room. By the way, that’s the best thing to do when we’re confronted with sins and temptations: get away from it!
Incredibly, the families of Dathan and Abiram stayed with them. Moses wrote (I mean, he was an eyewitness to the whole thing!) that not only these two men, but their wives, sons and little children (different word than “sons”) were right there with them.
Each party had made a stand. Dathan and Abiram, plus their extended families, stood on one side of the challenge. The rest of Israel was on the other side. Nothing seemed to be said or expressed for a period of time, until Moses gave the final warning.
Moses reminded the people he hadn’t started any of this, not even thinking about it, when the others rebelled. Then he gave the two conditions to prove who was in the right. First, he said that if these rebels died like ordinary people (and Israel had seen thousands die even in the relatively short time since leaving Egypt), then “the LORD hath not sent me.” Moses said that if these others died a normal death, the LORD hadn’t sent him.
Then he posed the other outcome: he said that if the LORD made a new thing, where the earth would open up and “swallow” all the rebels and all they owned,. then they who remained would know “they have provoked the LORD.” It’s refreshing, and amazing, to understand how loving and how patient the LORD really is. It’s quite another, some say, to experience His wrath and some of these people, who had walked across the Red Sea bed on dry ground, and had seen the LORD provide so much for so long, were about to see His wrath first hand.
7 The Conclusion
Text, Numbers 16:31-35, KJV: 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. 34 And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. 35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
There’s not too much to add here. Moses finished speaking and when he did, sure enough, the earth “clave asunder” or opened up and swallowed up everything pertaining to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Worse, there was a fire from the LORD that consumed the 250 men who offered incense. We don’t know if these were the same 250 princes mentioned earlier or not.
One thing was for certain: the LORD didn’t, and doesn’t, take rebellion lightly. Certainly all of us sin, but we don’t need to rebel against the LORD and face His punishment. We don’t need to feel His wrath as these three men plus their families did. Confession and making things right is always better than staying wrong. May we learn from this tragedy at the tabernacle!
Scripture quotation taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
