Day 76 – Korah, Dathan & Abiram

Quick Jon-hint (they’re the best types of hints, don’t you know): chapters like the ones today aren’t very easy. Numbers 16 has lots of detail which you may not remember easily, and it tells a tough story. Just remember two things. The first thing is that we are reading God’s Word. Treat it with the time and respect it deserves. The second thing is that I know that you won’t get it all instantly. So use my questions and hints to guide you through the passage. When I meet up with you midweek, Jonah and Harry (and Mel with Annabel), you’re not expected to remember everyone’s names or every detail. But you should be coming away from each day’s study with a basic grasp of the major points of the passage, so use the questions and comments to help you focus your mind.

And a second thing to say. Coronavirus worry is everywhere, and I know this will affect all of our lives. Perhaps it might give you more time to read if things are cancelled – I hope so! But I know the world feels rather shaky at the moment. Remember, as you read this week, that you are reading about a God who never lets us down and never changes. He isn’t forgetting His covenant with the Israelites, nor is He with you. I hope that comforts you in these uncertain times.

• Today we read about a rebellion in the camp led by three men – Korah, Dathan and Abiram. The people know now, as we have been finding out, that they will be spending years and years in the wilderness, and it seems tempers are getting frayed, with Moses and Aaron facing the brunt of the outpouring of anger.
• What was Korah, Dathan and Abiram’s problem? Numbers 16:3 will help you. What did Aaron have that they also wanted? What sin was at the heart of their complaint?
• Was the problem they challenged Moses with really a problem with the way that they perceived God to be acting, do you think?.
• How did Moses answer them in verse 8? Consider how Moses is putting God in the centre of his rebuttal.
• What did the people say in Numbers 16:12-14? It’s astonishing, isn’t it, but I bet that won’t surprise you any more! They say that Moses has taken them out of a land flowing with milk and honey. In other words, they are saying that Egypt wasn’t a prison – it was a paradise. Think about all the other times the people had said such things about Egypt since they had been freed. How did God react to their complaints each time?
• What was God’s judgement on them this time – specifically regarding the families of Korah, Dathan & Abiram? Look at verse 31. The word “Sheol” means “the depths” – i.e. Hell. What do you feel when you read this?
• Judgement also came on the 250 men in Numbers 16:35 for fighting against God’s decisions. The whole camp would have seen this judgement from God. So what really surprising thing do the rest of the people do the very next day? You can read about this from verse 41 onward.
• What was God’s judgement this time? Does the scale of it shock you? How does it compare with God’s previous reactions to the grumbling people?

Aaron, Moses’ brother, had a special job as high priest. This role, given to him by God, was like that of Moses. As a priest, he was a mediator for the people before God. Through Aaron, the people could draw near to God – and therefore life. The reading in Numbers 1 shows how Aaron and the Levite tribe were set apart in this special way.

In today’s readings some people challenged that authority because they were jealous of it, and wanted something they didn’t have. That’s an attitude I’m sure we can all relate to from time to time.

Today’s short reading in Jude reminds us not to be like Korah, or Cain, or indeed Balaam – whose story we’ll read in a couple of days’ time. All these people acted sinfully out of anger and jealousy, and it didn’t work out well for them, did it? How are you doing at being satisfied with what God has given you?