3/23/11
Numbers 16-17
Revolt of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
Numbers 16:1 Now Korah (means baldness) son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan (transgressor of the Divine law) and Abiram (the obdurate) sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben—took 2 two hundred fifty Israelite men, leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men, and they confronted Moses. 3 They assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone too far! All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. So why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” 4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will make known who is his, and who is holy, and who will be allowed to approach him; the one whom he will choose he will allow to approach him. 6 Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company, 7 and tomorrow put fire in them, and lay incense on them before the Lord; and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You Levites have gone too far!” 8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you Levites! 9 Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to allow you to approach him in order to perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation and serve them? 10 He has allowed you to approach him, and all your brother Levites with you; yet you seek the priesthood as well! 11 Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against the Lord. What is Aaron that you rail against him?”
12 Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come! 13 Is it too little that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also lord it over us? 14 It is clear you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”
15 Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Pay no attention to their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed any one of them.” 16 And Moses said to Korah, “As for you and all your company, be present tomorrow before the Lord, you and they and Aaron; 17 and let each one of you take his censer, and put incense on it, and each one of you present his censer before the Lord, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.” 18 So each man took his censer, and they put fire in the censers and laid incense on them, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 Then Korah assembled the whole congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole congregation.
20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: 21 Separate yourselves from this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment. 22 They fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one person sin and you become angry with the whole congregation?”
23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 24 Say to the congregation: Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25 So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He said to the congregation, “Turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be swept away for all their sins.” 27 So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents, together with their wives, their children, and their little ones. 28 And Moses said, “This is how you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works; it has not been of my own accord: 29 If these people die a natural death, or if a natural fate comes on them, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”
31 As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households—everyone who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33 So they with all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 All Israel around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “The earth will swallow us too!” 35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred fifty men offering the incense.
36 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 37 Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to take the censers out of the blaze; then scatter the fire far and wide. 38 For the censers of these sinners have become holy at the cost of their lives. Make them into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they presented them before the Lord and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the Israelites. 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been presented by those who were burned; and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar— 40 a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, shall approach to offer incense before the Lord, so as not to become like Korah and his company—just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.
41 On the next day, however, the whole congregation of the Israelites rebelled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” 42 And when the congregation had assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting; the cloud had covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. 46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, put fire on it from the altar and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took it as Moses had ordered, and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague had already begun among the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stopped. 49 Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the affair of Korah. 50 When the plague was stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
What about these two chapters in Numbers? Almost 15,000 people were killed because of the discontentment, jealousy and insubordination of some. The Bible tells us God does not change, but I wonder if many of us forget that. Do you think Father God retired? Do you think the son of God is just a bench warmer wondering if he'll get to play again in the game of history?
Maybe you think the Bible is just a compilation of various authors, scattered through history, writing for their own purposes and audiences. Is history but a string of random coincidences propelled by the baser and higher instincts of humans? Does life spring from the passion of pond scum? Those who study the Bible, those who study history and those who study molecular science will tell you (in private) there is something much-much greater going on here. No one has the answers. Paul says we all see through a glass darkly. Despite that, we are surrounded by enough evidence to know there is a God. The God who created butterflies and lambs is also the God who created lions and sharks.
Why do we think we will fare any better than these ancient Israelites? Korah was a Levite, but he was not a descendant of Aaron. Did he want the priesthood for himself? See how he tries to intimidate Moses. Who intimidates you? Do you try to intimidate others? We rightly rejoice that God loves us, but we need to remember what was necessary for us to have free will, the choice to decide for ourselves. Each of us has been given the gift of choice. Choose wisely. Will the God who killed almost 15,000 because of their jealousy wink at yours?If Christians get too high on themselves they need to go to the beach, grab a handful of sand and remember, we are but one grain of sand on the beach of eternity. The power that allows us to plunder others fades, but the power that enables us to lift up others is eternal.The Kohathites received the great honor of caring for the holiest things in the tabernacle, but they were not satisfied. Serving God should be its own joy and delight. It is a privilege, an act of love, not a duty and certainly not something to be taken away from another.
John Bunyan said, "If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot."
The Budding of Aaron’s Rod
Numbers 17:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the Israelites, and get twelve staffs from them, one for each ancestral house, from all the leaders of their ancestral houses. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each ancestral house. 4 Place them in the tent of meeting before the covenant, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout; thus I will put a stop to the complaints of the Israelites that they continually make against you. 6 Moses spoke to the Israelites; and all their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their ancestral houses, twelve staffs; and the staff of Aaron was among theirs. 7 So Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant.
8 When Moses went into the tent of the covenant on the next day, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted. It put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites; and they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the covenant, to be kept as a warning to rebels, so that you may make an end of their complaints against me, or else they will die.” 11 Moses did so; just as the Lord commanded him, so he did.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We are perishing; we are lost, all of us are lost! 13 Everyone who approaches the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all to perish?”
Devotionals, Videos and more ...
by Bill Federer
On this date, March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke to the Second Virginia Convention, which, because of British hostilities, was meeting in St. John’s Church. He proclaimed: “There is a just God who presides over the destines of nations… who will raise up friends to fight our battle for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave…. Patrick Henry concluded: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”
Federer, B. (2003). American minute. St. Louis, MO.: Amerisearch, Inc.
by D.H. Stern
Pleasure-lovers will suffer want;
he who loves wine and oil won’t get rich.
The wicked serve as a ransom for the righteous,
and likewise the perfidious for the upright.
Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible-OE
: An English version of the Tanakh (OT) and
B'rit Hadashah (NT) (1st ed.). Clarksville, Md.: Jewish
New Testament Publications.
by Oswald Chambers
Am I carnally minded?
Whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal? --- 1 Cor. 3:3. Chambers, O. (1993). My Utmost for His Highest
No natural man knows anything about carnality. The flesh lusting against the Spirit that came in at regeneration, and the Spirit lusting against the flesh, produces carnality. “Walk in the Spirit,” says Paul, “and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh”; and carnality will disappear.
Are you contentious, easily troubled about trifles? ‘Oh, but no one who is a Christian ever is!’ Paul says they are, he connects these things with carnality. Is there a truth in the Bible that instantly awakens petulance in you? That is a proof that you are yet carnal. If sanctification is being worked out, there is no trace of that spirit left.
If the Spirit of God detects anything in you that is wrong, He does not ask you to put it right; He asks you to accept the light, and He will put it right. A child of the light confesses instantly and stands bared before God; a child of the darkness says—‘Oh, I can explain that away.’ When once the light breaks and the conviction of wrong comes, be a child of the light, and confess, and God will deal with what is wrong; if you vindicate yourself, you prove yourself to be a child of the darkness.
What is the proof that carnality has gone? Never deceive yourself; when carnality is gone it is the most real thing imaginable. God will see that you have any number of opportunities to prove to yourself the marvel of His grace. The practical test is the only proof. ‘Why,’ you say, ‘if this had happened before, there would have been the spirit of resentment!’ You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.
the Poetry of R.S. Thomas
The Unborn Daughter
On her unborn in the vast circle
Concentric with our finite lives;
On her unborn, her name uncurling
Like a young fern within the mind;
On her unclothed with flesh or beauty
In the womb's darkness, I bestow
The formal influence of the will,
The wayward influence of the heart,
Weaving upon her fluid bones
The subtle fabric of her being,
Hair, hands and eyes, the body's texture,
Shot with the glory of the soul.
Thomas, R. S. Selected poems, 1946-1968
Eruvin 13b
Who among us hasn’t, like Rabbi Yannai, feared being out of place? While each of us wants to be an individual, none of us wants to stick out like a sore thumb. Rabbi Yannai’s words aptly reflect this anxiety. Rabbi Yannai is talking about planning for important events in life, and by asking to be buried neither in white nor in black in preparation for two possible eventualities is thinking ahead to save himself embarrassment, in this case, after death. Wearing olaryin will allow him to be neither like a groom among mourners nor like a mourner among grooms.
Many of us have had the experience, at one time or another, of walking into a room and feeling inappropriately dressed. A friend says, “Let’s go out for a casual dinner,” but her definition of casual and ours do not mesh. Because of the way we are dressed, we end up fidgeting in our seat all night long, like a mourner among grooms. We may remember the one man who, for whatever reason, came to a black-tie reception wearing a light-colored suit. Perhaps he could not afford a tuxedo; maybe he misread the invitation. Whatever the reason, he stood out like a groom among mourners.
We can avoid embarrassment by planning ahead, not only in how we dress but in other kinds of preparations. In order to enjoy the opera and not feel out of place, you read the libretto to understand the plot and story-line. Similarly, if you are invited to a life-cycle ritual in a different religious tradition, or even in your own tradition, you might benefit and feel more comfortable by finding out the customs of manners and dress beforehand.
Suppose you are invited to a simḥat bat, the new ritual that has developed over past decades as a special way of welcoming a baby girl into the Jewish community. If this is the first simḥat bat you are attending, you may feel apprehensive about feeling out of place. A little research, however, will help increase the comfort level. “How long does a simḥat bat last? How formal is it? Will I need any preparation? Are there others with whom I can share my anxieties?”
We can never be 100 percent sure that we’ll feel comfortable where we are. Life is just too complicated for that. Still, we want to feel as much at ease as possible, wherever we are. By properly thinking and planning ahead, we can make sure that we fit in and that we do not feel like either a groom among mourners or a mourner among grooms.
Both are the words of the living God.
Text / Rabbi Abba said in the name of Shmuel: “For three years there was a dispute between Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel, the former saying: ‘The law follows our views, and the latter saying: ‘The law follows our views.’ A voice from heaven proclaimed: ‘Both are the words of the living God but the law follows Bet Hillel.’ ” Since both are the words of the living God, why did Bet Hillel merit having the law follow their views? Because they were kind and modest; they used to teach their views and the views of Bet Shammai; moreover, they used to mention Bet Shammai’s views before their own.
Context / Another of the discussions and disagreements of Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai found on the very same page in the Talmud: For two and a half years, Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel disagreed: One said: “It would have been better if humans had not been created.” The other said: “It is better that humans have been created.” They voted and concluded: “It would have been better if humans had not been created. But now that humans have been created, let them search their [past] actions.” Others say: “Let them look into their [future] deeds.”
Hillel and Shammai were the two great rabbinic leaders at the end of the first century, B.C.E. The disciples of these two men over the next century were known, respectively, as Bet (“The House of”) Hillel and Bet Shammai. These two groups shaped much of Judaism as we know it today during the critical years just prior to, and immediately after, the destruction of the Temple in the year 70 C.E. Over three hundred of their halakhic disputes are recorded throughout the Talmud. Many scholars used to see a philosophical or sociological basis for the legal disagreements. Bet Hillel is often more lenient and may have represented the lower classes. Bet Shammai usually takes a stricter position, and its members may have come from the wealthier upper classes. However, this approach is disputed today.
In our section, Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai have been arguing for a considerable amount of time over whose views best reflected God’s will. The answer comes from a bat kol, a “small voice,” which is understood to be a message from God in heaven. This message could come as an actual voice, or it could be revealed in a dream. Once prophecy came to an end, a bat kol was the sole means of receiving direct communication from God.
Both Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai believed that in their opinions and legal rulings, they were uncovering and transmitting the will of God. The Written Law, the Torah given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, was often imprecise or even silent about many details and issues. What the Rabbis attempted to do in the Oral Law (the Midrash and the Talmud) was to try to discover what God had in mind. They struggled to understand the Torah and to apply its teachings to their own times. They often came up with very different interpretations. But, as we see here, they deeply believed that each interpretation reflected God’s truth. Nevertheless, the law—what was to be normative, accepted behavior—had to be fixed; otherwise the unity of the people would be destroyed by numerous practices. More often than not, Bet Hillel’s views were chosen not because Bet Hillel was right and Bet Shammai was wrong. Rather, Bet Hillel’s views became law, according to the Talmud, as a reward for the way they treated those they disagreed with.
Katz, M., & Schwartz, G. (1998). Swimming in the Sea of Talmud: Lessons for Everyday LIving
. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society.by Diana Wallis
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. --- John 17:11
Why [did] Christ thus pray and plead with God for them when he was to die? Certainly it was not because the Father was unwilling to grant the mercies he desired. No, the reasons of this great persistence are,
1. He foresaw a great trial then at hand and all the later trials of his people, as well. He knew their faith would be shaken by the approaching difficulties, when they would see their Shepherd struck and themselves scattered, the Son of man delivered into the hands of sinners and the Lord of life hang dead on the tree and sealed up in the grave. He foresaw what distresses his people would fall into between a busy Devil and bad hearts. Therefore he pleads with such persistence and ardency for them, that they might not go wrong.
2. He was now entering on his intercession work in heaven, and he desired in this prayer to give a sample of that part of his work before he left us, that we might understand what he would do for us when he was out of sight. It shows us what affections and dispositions he carried away with him and satisfies us that he who was so earnest with God on our behalf will not forget us or neglect our concerns in the other world. The intercession of Christ in heaven is carried much higher than this. Here he used prostrations of body, cries, and tears in his prayers; there, his intercession is carried in a more majestic way, befitting an exalted Jesus. But in this he left us special assistance to know the working of his heart, now in heaven, toward us.
3. And lastly, he would leave this as a standing monument of his fatherlike care and love to his people to the end of the world. And for this Christ delivered this prayer publicly, not withdrawing from the disciples to be private with God as he did in the garden. But he delivers it in their presence: “I say these things while I am still in the world” (John 17:13). And not only was it publicly delivered, but it was also recorded by John, that it might stand to all generations for a testimony of Christ’s tender care and love to his people. --- John Flavel
(27). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.The Choice: Numbers 13–14
Israel had been given instruction in responsibility on the way to the Promised Land. When they arrived at the borders of Palestine, Moses sent 12 men out in pairs to spy out the land. The 12 were to evaluate the strength of the peoples, their numbers, and whether the land was rich or poor. God was giving Israel information, that the dangers might be known and weighed against their confidence in God.
Ten of the 12 spies were overawed by the strength of the enemy and by the fortified towns they found in the land. Two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, encouraged the people to trust in God. “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (13:30). But the fears of the others prevailed. Crying in fright and anguish, the whole congregation was ready to choose other leaders to guide them back to Egypt!
Stunned by the choice Israel was making, Moses and Aaron “fell face down in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there” and Caleb and Joshua tore their clothing (an action indicating great depth of feeling). They urged Israel, “Do not rebel against the Lord.… Their protection is gone but Lord is with us” (14:9).
This affirmation of faith showed vividly the response that Israel should have made when faced with their choice. Instead, “the whole assembly talked about stoning them.”
The choice had been made.
Now, as a responsible people, Israel had to accept the full consequences of her decision.
God appears. At this point the Lord visibly intervened. His “glory” suddenly flashed from the tabernacle. The action of Israel justified their total destruction.… God could make of Moses alone a greater people than Israel. But Moses again prayed for the people, and they were pardoned.
Yet even with the pardon, the people of Israel would bear the consequences of their decision.
“Not one of the men who saw My glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed Me and tested Me 10 times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated Me with contempt will ever see it” (vv. 22–23).
Only Caleb and Joshua were exempted, because they had responded to God with trust. The rest would be led out again into the wilderness, to wander there for 38 years.
“Your bodies will fall—every one of you 20 years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against Me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home except Caleb … and Joshua” (vv. 29–30).
When the children of the next generation had learned to accept responsibility and to trust God, then they would come again to the Promised Land. A people who refused to trust could never experience the Promised Land’s rest.
Unfair? Lest we think this judgment was too severe, we need to look at the aftermath. When Moses told the people the judgment of God, they “mourned greatly.” And the next morning they jumped up—and mounted an attack on the land they had been unwilling to approach. But this was after God had expressly commanded them to turn back to the wilderness!
Moses cried out, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!” (v. 41) But the people stumbled on to meet the enemy, though God’s ark and His presence remained in the camp.
They were defeated and pursued.
The people had once again demonstrated that they simply would not listen to God or respond to Him. Over and over the failure of Israel to be obedient led them into disaster. Yet they refused to be responsible.
The lesson still had to be learned. Until it was learned, the people would know only the tragic consequences of disobedience with each wrong choice.
(323). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.