Numbers 16:3  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?

All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. No they aren’t. Some are. But a lot are not. I fear one day, this is what will come of all this talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit. “We all have the Holy Spirit! Who do you think you are?!”

Numbers 16:4  And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

Let me ever remember, that if I pastor a church, that this will be my first reaction when some of my people come against me. Don’t fall upon them, fall upon your face.

Numbers 16:9  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?

Being Levites was no small thing. Any task that God gives us is not a small thing. We should do it will all our might, strength, and will. We should not look to other people’s task. We should not think ourselves more highly than we ought.

Numbers 16:12  And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:

Back me up Dathan and Abiram?! No we won’t. Jerks.

Numbers 16:19  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.

What a sight! I’d be scared at this point if I were Korah. He must actually think the Lord is on his side.

Numbers 16:21  Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

Wow. That picture of someone stepping from someone that God is going to strike with lightening comes to mind.

Numbers 16:22  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?

Yes. No man lives unto himself and no man dies unto himself. The selfish behavior of Korah. The self-centeredness of Korah brought the death of thousands of people. Yes, what you do affects others.

Numbers 16:32-33  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.

Not just the carcasses but everything that appertained to them. That’s how to deal with sin. All of it should perish, their houses, the men, and their goods.  This might be a message.

Numbers 16:39-40  And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:  (40)  To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

This reminds me of the blue ribbons that God told them to put on their garments to reminds them to follow the law. Now he wants them “broad plates” for covering the altar and those plates will remind them that nobody but the priest shall offer incense before the LORD. If we could find a 3rd reminder, then we might have another message.

Numbers 16:41  But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

These people just don’t get it.  God is drawing them out. The stick gatherer drew out Korah, Korah drew out 250, and these 250 drew out even more. God said the carcasses will fall in the wilderness. God will draw out the poison in your life. This may be good stuff for “Kill or be killed”

Numbers 16:48  And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

When did the plague spread? Where did it start? The stick-gatherer was ground zero.

Numbers 16:49  Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

Close to 15 thousand dead. I need to talley this correctly one day.

Numbers 17:5  And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

Could this be the third point regarding reminders? Blossoming rod? What is that a picture of? What does that mean? What is the signification?

Numbers 17:8  And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

Budded, Brought, Bloomed, Yielded

Numbers 17:10  And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

A token against rebellion. See, that’s the third.

 

Numbers 18:7  Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

This is very important. Not sure why, but very important. The priest’s office is very serious. We are a priesthood of believers, are we not?

Numbers 18:19  All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

The covenant of salt? Let’s explore that one day. Everybody always talks about how salt preserves, well salt also destroys. Just saying.

Numbers 18:20  And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.

I am thy part. Abraham, I am thy exceeding great reward. They that preach the gospel shall live of the gospel.

Numbers 18:30-32  Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.  (31)  And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.  (32)  And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

What is the increase of the threshingfloor? Or the winepress

The Levites are rewarded for their service.

Ye shall bear no sin by reason of it? I’ve really got to study this stuff out.

Numbers 19:2  This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:

The red heifer was apparently burned, all of it, unlike the other beats. And his ashes were used in the purifying water. I notice how this is given so late in the game. I wonder when it was given in a timeline because the law does speak much of purifying even before the law of the red heifer.

Numbers 19:9  And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin.

Water for separation. Purification for sin. Water? Holy Spirit? Washing of the word? Baptism? Hmmm?

Numbers 19:12  He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.

 

Not the first time we’ve heard this order.  Must be done on the third day. Or seventh day no good.

Numbers 19:19  And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.

Clean shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the 3rd and 7th day?  Huh?

Numbers 20:6  And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

Fell upon their faces. Another good way to respond when congregation gathers themselves against you.

Numbers 20:8  Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

Numbers 20:11  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

Speak not Smote. I guess we ought be careful about our attitude toward God regarding the living water. I know God has promised us his Spirit, and it’s God’s will that we be filled with the Spirit, but still we don’t demand and force God. We speak and we ask.

Maybe we ought to try this the next something doesn’t go our way. Instead of kicking things, and hitting things, and cussing, and getting mad. Maybe we ought to just speak to the object of concern. If we are to treat rocks this well, how should we treat people. Speak to them, don’t smote them.

Numbers 20:12  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

This so far is the saddest verse in the law. Yet nothing more is said about it. No reaction is given. No debate. Nothing. It’s sad.

Numbers 20:29  And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.

God said that ALL the carcasses would fall in the wilderness, and that included Aaron. Is it possible that Moses and Aaron both knew the reality of them dying in the wilderness, and that is why they didn’t respond to Num 20:12? What could they say. They knew they were of that number.

Sad that they couldn’t get in, but in typology, regarding the flesh, it’s just a fact. The promised land is not for the flesh. No the body is dead because of sin. But the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Righteousness. Jesus dying on the cross. Our bodies crucified with him has wrought righteousness in us. Crucified in him and raised in him. Yes. The Spirit is life.

Good bye Aaron.