Prepare
Opening Prayer
God, thank you that patterns of authority are for our good and your glory, and above all for Jesus Christ, King of kings, Lord of lords, and great High Priest. Help us live under your authority. In Jesus' name, amen.
Read
Scripture Passage
Rebellion Against Moses and Aaron
16 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with 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 some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
4 So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. 6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the Lord chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!”
8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up! 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? 14 Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”
15 Then Moses was very angry, and said to the Lord, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.”
16 And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the Lord—you and they, as well as Aaron. 17 Let each take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.” 18 So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.
20 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
22 Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?”
23 So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ”
25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” 27 So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children.
28 And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.”
31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!”
35 And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.
36 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 37 “Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. 38 The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the Lord, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, 40 to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Nu 16:1–40.
A — About
What Is This Passage About?
Korah, Dathan, Abiram, On, and 250 leaders rebel against Moses and Aaron's God-given offices. The Lord vindicates his chosen servants by opening the earth under the rebels and consuming the unauthorized incense-bearers with fire.
B — Best Verse
A Verse That Summarizes the Passage
Numbers 16:5
Distilled from the devotional exposition; the speaker did not explicitly name a best verse.
Bryan does not explicitly identify a best verse. Verse 5 states the decisive issue in the rebellion: the Lord—not the rebels—shows whom he has chosen as holy and permits to draw near.
C — Called or Christ
C — Christ Connection
Respect the authorities God appoints and submit ultimately to Jesus Christ, the King of kings and great High Priest. Resist the temptation to make yourself the final authority, and live under God's good order.
Devotional Study
Transcript of the devotion. Minor transcription errors may remain.
well good morning good morning good morning welcome to coffee and devotions this where every weekday morning you and I we get together we have a little bit of coffee we get into God's word and we grow our love for the Lord together in this year 2024 we'll make it through the books of Numbers Deuteronomy he Hebrews good job let's have some coffee we'll pray we'll get into God's word well you could have nothing everybody else has had some this morning but it's coffee but it's coffee he says that's why it's so good all right I'm gonna move this screen here real quick we're gonna be in Numbers chapter four or Numbers chapter 16 you want to grab that Numbers chapter 16 I think I haven't been here for a few years nope all right so yeah so last time when I've been in here with the kids with the other kids uh we've talked about different offerings that God has given like Free Will offerings uh and then we also I talked with them that the difference between unintentional sins and presumptuous sins right like the sins where you go oh such a dummy why have I messed this up and the SS where you go I just don't care I hate God I don't care about his law I'm going to do whatever I want to do because I'm the standard right then Ellie and I talked last about uh at the very end of chapter 15 here they were to on their garments show that they were God's people that he was their King that he had redeemed them out of Egypt by having blue thread in His Garment in their garments right in in the tassel of their garments to show that they were a royal priesthood they were a holy nation and so every time they looked at the blue thread and the tassels on their garment they would go Ah that's right God made us kings and queens in his kingdom he is the king of kings so let's go ahead and we're going to go in verse chapter 16 right now that we've thought about that we're going to go down to verse 40 right so just one big story though yeah but I got the long partt everybody else gets but everybody else had a lot to talk about yeah right so here we go uh how about I read 1 through 19 and you can read 20 through 40 is that good right now remember you can use your finger to keep track of where you're supposed to be my microphone keeps just you're good moving you're good away no you're good all right here we go now Kora the son of isar the son of kohath the son of Levi and Dayan and abam the son of eliab and an the son of pth son of Reuben took men and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel 250 leaders of the congregation representatives of the congregation men of renown they gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them you take too much upon yourself for all the congregation is Holy every one of them and the Lord is among them why then do you exalt yourselves above the Assembly of the Lord so what's their complaint you're shoulding to be better than God yeah better than everybody else in the church in the congregation the church right so when Moses heard it he fell on his face and he spoke to Kora and all his company saying tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is his and who is Holy and will cause him to come near to him that one of whom that one whom he chooses he will cause to come near to him do this take sensors Kora and all your company put fire in them and put s incense in them before the Lord tomorrow and it shall be that the man whom the Lord chooses is the Holy One you takes too much upon yourselves you sons of Levi all right so what's Moses say what about the sons of Levi like what maybe they being that's right okay good then Moses said to Kora here now you sons of Levi is it a small thing that you to you that the god of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself to do the work of the Tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to serve them and that he has brought you near to himself and you and all your brethren the sons of Levi with you and are you seeking the priesthood also therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord and what is Aon that you should complain against him what's he saying there uh kind of being prideful kind of being prideful right God had made they're Levites and Levites were were they like everyone else nope no right they were special they had their own jobs and God said and Moses is saying wasn't that enough for you and Moses sent to call Dayan and abam the sons of eliab but they said we will not come up is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness that you should keep acting like a prince over us moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey nor given us an inheritance of fields and Vineyards will you put out the eyes of these men we will not come up wof where did they think the land flowing with milk and honey was Egypt Egypt who are they blaming for their wandering in the wilderness Moses Moses that's right then Moses was very angry and said to the Lord do not respect their offering I have not taken one Donkey from them nor have I hurt one of them and Moses said to Kora tomorrow you and all your company be present before the Lord you and they as well as Aaron Let each take his sensor and put incense in it and each of you bring his sensor before the Lord 250 sensors both you and Aaron each with his sensor so every man took its sensor put fire in it laid incense on it and stood at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron and Kora gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting then the glory of the Lord appeared to the congregation happens got P yeah right all right get your sensors you think you you think you're in the right one guy Aaron all you all 250 with your sensors right at that moment when they come with their sensors that' be scary that would be scary but if can you imagine if it was like still dark it was like this is fine floating verse 20 and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron saying separate yourselves from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment you want to pick up from here or you want me to keep reading I keep reading then they fell on their faces and said oh God oh God of the spirits of All Flesh shall associated with your too up what man said and you be angry with all the congregation the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the congre saying get away the congregation saying get away from the tents of Coran and abam so so God Appears they fall in their faces and God says right get away I'm going to kill them all know what what is what does Moses do he like go don't don't don't don't don't do that don't kill them all right the Lord says okay so get away from those guys get away from the leaders good verse 25 then Moses Rose and went up to D aan and abam and the Elders of Israel followed him and he spoke to the congregation saying depart from the tents of these Wicked Men Touch nothing of theirs lest you be consumed in all their sins so they got away from around the tens of K daan and Aon and daan and daan and Aon came out and stood at the T of their tents with their wives their sons and their children and Moses said by this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these walks for I have done them of them of my own will for I have not done them of my own will I have not them done them for my own of my own will if these men die naturally like men or if they are visited or if they are visited I cannot see here you want my glasses yes okay I think maybe that Bible has print that's a little too small for your eyes that's why I'm I think if you put your finger underneath the words it will actually help you follow it along better uh oh if they live visited common fate of woman men then the Lord has not sent me but if the Lord creates new thing and the Earth opens his mouth and swallows them up all that belongs to them they go down alive into the pit then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord okay so what's Moses saying there if they just die like noral people then they know that Moses isn't really who he says he is but if they if the ground opens up and SS them then you can know who got chose that's right good you want to keep reading or you want me to read where are we uh verse 31 now it came to pass as he finished speaking all these words that the ground split apart under them the Earth opened it mouth and swallowed them up with their households and all the men with k with all their good so they they and all those with them went down alive into the pit the Earth closed over them and they perished from among the Ze then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry for they said L the Earth SW up us us up also and a fire so what happens there H the ground opens up Kora family all those supporting him what happens to him and what happens to the ground then you really think that could happen somehow it happened yeah but I don't think it has to happen all the time that's the point of a miracle right I think it can happen I think it did happen I don't think this is like fanciful fairy tale I think this did happen right could you imagine how scary that would be because even if like somehow it's like well maybe I was just like this crack and Earth that kind of just like wind it up there's no scientifical way that you can just split a part of the earth just open yeah it definitely seems crazy doesn't it right but there's maybe there was some type of earthquake or mudslide or I don't know right but the point is God's the one who does this at that exact moment to those exact people there's no way to just explain it away or it's an article of faith for us just to say no I believe God can do miracles right The God Who created the Earth can do with the Earth what he wants okay let's go ahead and finish this up uh where are we verse 35 and a fire came down out from the Lord and consumed a fire came out from the Lord that's right and consumed the 200 250 men who were offering incense then the Lord spoke to Moses saying tell leazar the son of Aon the priest to pick up the sensors out of Blaze they are holy and sacred the fire nope for they are holy and Scatter the fire some distance away the sensors of these men who send against their own Souls let them be made into into Hammer plates plates as a covering for the altar because they presented them before the Lord before they before therefore they are holy and they shall be assigned to the children of Israel so elazer the priest took the bond Sor which those who were Bor up had presented and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar to be a memorial to those to the children of Israel that no Outsider who is not a in not a descendant there and should come before come near to offer incense before the Lord that he might not become like cor and His companion just as the Lord has said to him through Moses All right so Kora daythan those other guys right what happens to them they get swallowed up they get swallowed up and so what happens to the other 250 guys they're all standing there with their sensors that fire lord consumes them all right and so all that's left is their sensors what's the Lord say to do with their bronze sensors right sensors are where you put like hot coals that have incense you have to found them and put them on that's right they going to be a covering over the altar right so every time somebody looked at the altar and they saw the bronze that was that was there what would they remember that God that just going to be like oh yeah have want do incense so that it's fine mhm because yeah doesn't take that this right the Lord is the Master of the House and he's the one who gets to determine who's in charge right let's go ahead and just there's a a really long story it's really gripping story but let's move quickly into what do you think it teaches you about your life today what are you called to do or how does this show us about Jesus you respect those in authority over us okay respect those in authority over us okay yeah is is God the one who gives levels of authority God the one who gives organizational structure but often in our society people hate that right people don't like Authority who do they want want to be the final Authority then themselves I think all of us are tempted that way but especially today in our culture we were just talking about this right yesterday as we were talking about deconstructing right people are deconstructing their faith and at the end of the day one of the things that often happens is people want to be their own authority know I get to choose what I think about God and I get to do whatever I want and that you know and this we live in a free country they can do whatever they want that doesn't change objective reality it doesn't change what God Said in his word and so the question is do we subject ourselves to God do we trust him or do we fight against him right this is this is a difficult thing right each one of us I have to wrestle with it you have to wrestle with it I think all of us have to wrestle with what is our relationship to the authorities appointed over us and do we trust God that he's the one who placed them there is it easy to follow Authority nope you you mean you don't love following me all the time nope this is morning we have a fight about flames of the camera yeah yeah right I don't I don't think it was a fight but we had a disagreement there's no screaming yelling hitting but we had a disagreement something we can over that's something we can Overlook that's right we were talking about three levels of conflict and this was an overlook this morning right but does the Lord Overlook every conflict nope nope the Lord's got to deal with some are you ready to pray yep okay God we thank you so much for the patterns of authority that you've given us are for our good and For Your Glory we thank you most of all for giving us Jesus Christ the King of Kings and the Lord of lords our great high priest Lord we thank you for entrusting to us the blessing of being in your Covenant please help us Lord to live under your Authority in Jesus's name we pray amen all right may God bless you and may you live under the authority and kingship of Jesus Christ and we'll see you next time say goodbye bye bye thanks for listening to this week's message from God's word for you a Ministry of Sharon RP Church in rural Southeast Iowa we pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith and your life this week if you'd like to get more information about us feel free to go to the website Sharon rc.org we'd love to invite you to worship with us our worship time is 10:00 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue Morning Sun Iowa 52640 may God richly bless you this [Music] week