Numbers 16-17, "Pitfalls to the Promised Land: Rebellion"

The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram

Numbers chapter 16 all the way through chapter 17. Hear the word of the Lord. Now Korah the son of Ishar son of Kohath son of Levi and Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab and on the son of Peleth sons of Reuben took men and They rose up before Moses with a number of the people of Israel 250 chiefs of the congregation chosen from the assembly well-known men.

They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them you have gone too far. For all in the congregation are holy every one of them and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?

When Moses heard it he fell on his face and he said to Korah in all his company in. The morning the Lord will show who is his and who is holy and will bring him nearer to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him do this.

Take censers Korah in all his company put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the Holy One. You have gone too far sons of Levi and Moses said to Korah here now you sons of Levi.

Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has? Separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself. To be to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them and that he has Brought you near him and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you and would you seek the priesthood also?

Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him. And Moses said to Dathan and Abiram sons of Elieb? And and excuse me and Nate and Moses sent to Dathan and Abiram's Environs sons of Elieb and they said we will not come up.

Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of the land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in this? Wilderness that you must also make yourself a prince over us. Moreover, you have not brought us up 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. And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them and I have not harmed one of them.

And Moses said to Korah be present you and all your company before the Lord you and a and Aaron tomorrow and Let every one of you take his censer and put incense on and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer 250 censers you also in Aaron each his censer.

So every man took his censer and put fire on them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of Meeting with the Lord and with Moses and Aaron. Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation and the Lord spoke to Moses and said to Aaron's Saying separate yourselves from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment.

And they fell in their faces and said Oh God the God of the spirits of all flesh shall one man sin. And will you be angry with all the congregation. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying Say to the congregation get away from the dwelling of Korah Dathan and Abiram.

Then Moses of wrote that Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram and the elders of Israel followed him and he spoke to the congregation saying depart Please from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest you be swept away with all their sins.

So they got away from the dwelling of Korah Dathan and Abiram and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents together with their wives their sons and their little ones. And Moses said said hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do these all these works and that it has not been Of my own accord if these men die as all men die or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind.

Then the Lord has not sent me 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 and to Sheol then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.

And As soon as he had finished speaking all these words the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them Up with their households and all the people who belong to Korah and all their goods.

So they and all that belonged to them went a lot down alive and to Sheol and the earth closed over them and they perish from the midst of the assembly. And All Israel who were around them fled at their cry for they said lest the earth swallow us up alive.

Yeah, it doesn't say alive Let's the earth swallow us up. And fire came out from the Lord and consumed 250 men offering the incense. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying tell Eliezer the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze then scatter the fire far and wide for they have become holy as.

For the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives Let them be made into hammered pieces Hammered plates as a covering for that altar for they for the altar for they offered them before the Lord and they became holy thus They shall be assigned to the people of Israel.

So Eliezer the priest took the bronze censers Which those who were burned had offered and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar to be a reminder to the people Of Israel so that no outsider who was not of the descendants of Aaron should draw near to burn incense before the Lord Lest he become like Korah in his company as the Lord said to him through Moses.

But on the next day all the Congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron saying you have killed the people of the Lord. And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron they turned toward the tent of meeting and behold the cloud covered it in the glory of the Lord appeared and Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting and the Lord spoke to Moses saying Get away from the midst of this congregation that I may consume them in a moment.

And they fell on their faces and Moses said to Aaron take your censer and put fire on it from off 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 so Aaron took it as Moses had said and ran into the midst of the assembly and behold the plague had already gone among the people had already begun among the people and he put on the incense and made atonement for the people and He stood between the dead and the living and the plague was stopped.

Now those who died in the plague were 14 ,700 besides those who died in the affair of Korah. And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting when the Plague was stopped. Chapter 17.

And the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to the people of Israel and get from them staffs one for each One for each father's house from all their chiefs According to their father's houses 12 staffs. Write each man's name on his staff and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi.

For there shall be one staff for the head of each father's house then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I Meet with you and the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.

Moses spoke to the people of Israel and all their chiefs gave him staffs one for each chief according to their father's houses 12 staffs and the staff of Aaron was among their staffs and Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the Tent of the testimony.

On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the staff of Aaron. For the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms and it bore ripe almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel and they looked and each man's took his staff and the Lord said to Moses put back the staff of Aaron before the Testimony to be kept as a sign for the rebels that you may make an end of their grumbling is against me lest they die.

Thus did Moses as the Lord commanded him. So he did and The people of Israel said to Moses behold we perish we are undone. We are all undone everyone who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord.

She'll die. Are we all to perish? May the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, if a pitfall is a hidden trap. Something it's not obvious. Something's obscure that you that you can easily accidentally step into is rebellion a pitfall.

Or is it obvious. You know in theory, of course authority is clear. The King says pay your taxes. For your tea or for your written documents got to put a stamp on it. You say no way. Maybe throw the tea in the harbor you start a rebellion.

Or do you call it a revolution? You know one man's rebellion is another man's revolution. Just a few months before I came here. I mean we moved here over ten years ago now I preach a series of sermons in a church in Pennsylvania that taught while I was there in their Sunday school that the American Revolution Was wrong.

Because it was a rebellion and all rebellion is wrong. They said we simply always submit no matter what it's what they said but I thought. Well, you know at the time of the American Revolution or rebellion what you want to call it.

You you would have to make a choice to rebel against someone. You know if you follow the governments of the colonies which now declaring themselves to be states. You rebel against the king of England if you follow the king of England you rebel against your state.

If you lived in North Carolina or Virginia in 1776 You're going to have to choose Who to rebel against? Almost four score in seven years later. Once again, you'd have to choose who to rebel against your state if you're in the south anyway, or the federal government.

If you're in North Carolina or Virginia. Do you submit to them or do you submit to the USA? Loyalists to the USA called the Union called the others Rebels just like the British, you know the loyalists to the king in 1776 called the American revolutionaries Rebels.

The conclusion though the many Americans now after all that so confusing they think well the conclusion is That rebellion is not such a bad thing after all. It can be glorious to be a rebel. That's why many Americans think you know Stone Mountain Georgia has an enormous engraving of the leaders of the rebellion carved into the side of it.

The University of Mississippi is nicknamed the rebels. Even the heroes of the Star Wars films, you know, they're fighting for the rebellion. Rebels can even be cool. Don't you know even if they're rebels without a cause like James Dean but rebels almost always want a cause, you know a cause greater than just slick hair and Leather jackets and fast cars.

We commonly hail our heroes of all kinds as Rebels for some cause they gotta have something they're rebelling for so about 50 years ago Martin Luther King was celebrated as a I guess probably some people sell he was a rebel against an oppressive system the same System oddly enough that the other rebels were fighting for.

About a century before Martin Luther King today We have some rebels who think that they have inherited Martin Luther King's mantle to overturn an oppressive system. That's keeping them down keeping the people down now what they call the LGBTQ community and to some extent there is a Real community there some people scoff and done real community.

But some extent there is one a community that's centered on the idea That there are that they are the new rebels that they're rebels for the sexual Revolution, they're the new freedom fighters fighting for erotic freedom.

That's the new cause Christians are Tempted again then to simply say all rebellion is wrong there were just to submit to the system no matter what it is and when it comes to who you who should marry who or What bathroom to use that seems to make some sense, but then how far back do you take that?

Do you undo civil rights? Because you just always submit to the system. Do you submit again to the Monarch in England do we send Queen Elizabeth? Apology letter and say we're part we submit again. How far back do you go?

How about undoing the Protestant Reformation? We're coming up to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation this very this October. Should we celebrate it as a glorious revolution or Should we mourn it as a sinful rebellion?

Is the Pope the head of the church again? Well, it all depends on what's being rebelled against doesn't it in? 1776 how do you choose which? Authority to submit to the state and then the Continental Congress or the King.

Well in in 1861. How do you choose who to rebel against your southern state or? The USA 500 years ago in 1517. Who you rebel against Martin Luther or the Catholic Church? Well the modern answer the answer most Americans go to today is well, whichever the people decide let the let the people Choose who to submit to who to rebel against but that's really not what Martin Luther was for.

So he's protesting for gonna let the people decide what to believe. No, that's not what he here I stand the people have decided. No, it's not what it's not even what if you read carefully Declaration of Independence.

It's not even what Thomas Jefferson was writing about. He was writing about inalienable rights. Endowed by a creator and as much as many of want to point to him as a rebel with a cause. Martin Luther King and his famous.

I have a dream speech decried Alabama's popularly elected governor George Wallace. Decried him for lips quote dripping with the words of interposition and nullification. In other words. He decried him for threatening to nullify federal law.

Martin Luther King may have been a revolutionary. But he wasn't a rebel. He was for Authority. He along with Jefferson and his namesake Martin Luther saw themselves not as rebels as overturning law. Just for their own sake but as revolutionaries bringing rebellious laws and law enforcers to conform to higher laws natural laws.

The lofty laws of heaven. Well. What about you? Are you were a rebel or a revolutionary? Well here we see rebellion and Revolution. Israel began as a revolution. The government the authority at least the man who thought he had the authority.

Pharaoh did not want to let Israel go but the higher authority overrode him. Israel left in a revolution. They were going to be a kingdom of priests in Exodus chapter 19 verse 6. They were going to be ruled by laws.

Not by absolute kings who just issuing decrees edicts like dictators. They were going to be a different kind of nation a holy nation. They were going to be a revolutionary people like Peter says that we now are in first Peter chapter 2 verse 9 now the church Is the holy nation but just like from the beginning in the garden.

There is rebellion. We see that here in this passage in three parts the cause of the rebellion the consequences of the rebellion and Finally the cure for the rebellion. Well, the rebellion starts with four men.

Speaking up and they were leading men. This isn't just the riffraff, you know sitting at a bar Complaining about the ghost gods in Washington. This isn't just riffraff, but these are the leaders taking a stand.

Cora Dathan a Byram and on Cora was a Levite. That's the holy tribe. That's the tribe that was supposed to take care of the tabernacle. Some of the priests were Levites who at least those who were descended from Aaron, but not all of them.

Not all all of the Levites were priests. The the rest of them were assistants in the tabernacle. They were helpers of the priests. They were Deacons, so to speak the others the initial rebellion these other names this Dathan a Byram and on they were Reuben.

It's from the tribe of Reuben and Reuben had been the oldest son of Jacob. Who's the literal first Israel and so is the oldest son that they would normally? Should have been the leaders and all of these men then were close to power.

But not in the center of it. These leading men rallied 250 other leading men. Called chiefs of the congregation, you know, they're called in verse 2 notes, but they're also in verse 2 well-known men.

250 Leading men. That's a respectable impressive gathering a Congress it's enough. Certainly for a revolution. Are they rebels or? Revolutionaries. Well, they assemble together and in verse 3 they made their declaration to Moses and Aaron.

You have gone too far. For all in the congregation are holy every one of them. And the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourself above the assembly of the Lord? Notice three things about this declaration.

This is their deck. You know, America is this declaration of independence? This is their declaration. Notice three things at the declaration of these rebels because this is the way the rebels will always sound.

There's the protest. There's the position and finally there's the accusation first. They make a protest. Moses Aaron. You've gone too far. They've overreached. They've abused their authority. The rebels kind of admit in that that Moses and Aaron had some authority.

Some legitimate authority, but now they've used it for personal gain. Moses he's not a man of the people. He's not accessible. He's not approachable. He's always hanging out there in that holy place with the Lord and we can't go into him.

I mean he comes out and he's wearing this veil his face is glowing. Who do you think he is Aaron? He won't let other people offer sacrifices. What's up with that? He thinks he has a monopoly on it. Rebels will protest.

The leader has gotten too big for his britches and then they take a surprisingly sound position. It's a true Biblical position and it sounds respectable. It's when you say yeah, you're right. You're right.

That's all true a popular position that we can all rally behind. All in the congregation are holy every one of them and the Lord is among them all true. They were already told that the whole nation was supposed to be a nation of priests.

They were just called at the end of chapter 15 just after just before the story begins. They were called to be holy and indeed the Lord was among them right there in that tabernacle. Rebels are almost always going to proclaim a position that makes them appear.

That they are interested in interested in something other than just rebelling against authority. They want a good-looking position to take they want a Cause that people can rally behind at least it looks like their cause.

That's what makes rebellion a pitfall. It disguises itself as something else as if it's really for this legitimate cause it Claims some widely accepted principle that they say is under threat which they are trying to protect.

Moses and Aaron are are Undermining what we're all about. We've got to take control from them. They say it claims, you know something that you want to believe in so you want to get behind. Maybe it's States rights.

They shout when in reality. Which you know the legitimate cause sure when in reality. What they're what they're. What they're protesting again is is the president that the other states? Fairly elected.

When in reality what they want is a constitution that doesn't allow other states by their rights to take away their Slaves who have oddly enough no rights in their states. Maybe today among many Baptist churches.

They will fight for the position of the priesthood of all believers, which they claim. That's what they claim. It sounds good, right priesthood of all believers all God's people. I'm not accountable for anyone but the way it comes out when reality they're rebelling against church discipline that the Lord Jesus gave us the idea that they are accountable to a church and probably a church to which maybe they want to be a member of.

But they don't want to have to attend of all things. Rebels always hide their true position. Maybe it's licentiousness. I was just living wild. Antinomianism that is lawlessness. Maybe it's just wanting to have their own way.

Maybe it's slavery. They'll hide their true position under some noble sounding position. Then there's the accusation on the basis of a true position. We're all holy the Lord is among us. It's much easier to make a false accusation here.

You exalt yourself above the assembly of the Lord. Well, there's no evidence that Moses or Aaron did that at the burning bush. Moses tried to talk the Lord out of sending him to Israel. He didn't want to be the leader in numbers 14.

Just shortly before this rebellion probably just days weeks. But the most just a few months the Lord threatens to destroy the whole nation as he does here. I think he's showing something about by doing that he's showing something about Moses's heart.

All right, and he does that in numbers 14 the Lord had threatened to destroy the whole nation and make a new nation from Moses the nation of Moses. No, if Moses is what they say He would have thought hmm.

I like the sound of that The nation of Moses, you know with ambassadors from the nation of Moses and Moses's Congress and the federal government of Moses name on the map Republic of Moses, you know, that sounds good.

Doesn't it to be a George Washington not just another Leader kind of all of older nation just a one among many but to be the father. I'd be great wouldn't. But instead he pleaded with the Lord not to do that.

He does that here several times. He's not exalted himself above the assembly above the nation the Lord's exalted him and The other people that he's not exalted. Don't they don't like that that they envy him.

They envy the glory that the Lord has let Moses reflect. So they're gonna bring him down to their level in The 1740s Jonathan Edwards became an esteemed leader of the Great Awakening. Writing not only very sophisticated theology books some of the probably Considered the greatest theologian America's ever produced but also books that spread the revival that sparked worldwide missions and the preaching superstar of their day.

George Whitfield visited Edwards and his home and commented favorably that about Edwards family how they Live simply that they live like people who were not just living for this world. But they really believed that they were living for heaven.

And he commented at Whitfield did about how Edwards as Edwards preached and Excuse me as Whitfield preached in Edwards Church. Edwards Wept through the whole sermon. That's the kind of you know, you look at his sermons.

You think he must have been a hard cold man. He was he was a man of Passion and to this day Edwards a sermon sinners in the hands of an angry God is the example of the Great Awakening most American students are exposed to now you would think then with all that all those accomplishments that His position as pastor of the church in Northampton, Massachusetts would have been secure.

Right unless he does something you'd have to do something really awful to ever get removed as pastor there you would think. But over time people began to grumble. He's gone too far. They would take biblical sounding positions.

We're all holy. Who are you to tell us, you know, some of us can't take the Lord's Supper. They accused him of trying to abuse his authority and in 1750 They fired him. What's the cause of the rebellion?

Jonathan Edwards believed that he was fired because some of the church members had been influenced by Armenian theology. That is the theology that it's our will that determines God's will. God's decisions hinge on ours.

His eternal plan of salvation depends on the choices we make. Our choices are ultimate. We are the master of our fate. We are the captain of our soul. That's sort of Armenian theology. Encapsulated that that of course that appeals to our pride.

What we like to believe about ourself how important we are and we determine so much. So Paul says the natural person cannot accept the things of the Holy Spirit. He is not able in 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14.

He's not able not because God is stopping him from accepting the things of the Spirit. But but he or she is not it is not able to accept the gospel because the natural person. The person who is left untouched by God's grace.

Unconvicted by the Holy Spirit of his or her sin the person who is just left dead in sin that person is so full of. The pride of life that pride that the serpent appealed to in the Garden of Eden, you know.

That you can you can become like God. Why should you hint? Why should you depend on his word? You can you can say what's good or bad. That pride that we surrendered to when we took that fruit. We're so full of that pride that if we're left natural Unchanged by grace.

We can't accept the idea that we're then slaves of sin. Needing a Savior to free us that we're that dependent that we require Someone between us and God to make atonement for our sins that we can't accept the idea.

That there's nothing in our hands we can bring but only to the cross we must cling. What causes the rebellion. Pride. Here these chiefs of the congregation. They can't tolerate the idea that they have to approach God.

Through someone else that they can't approach God on their own that they need an intermediary to atone for them. So they rebel you have gone too far. By putting yourself between me and the Lord they can bring their own censors to the Lord.

They say so Moses after falling on his face the first time in this story. He does at least three times here. Challenges Cora and his people the rebellious Levites in verses 5 to 7 now here is a test. It's the first of three tests in this in this passage come to the entrance of the tabernacle with your own censors.

There's these kind of bronze pans that they put hot coals in and then incense on it. Come that the next day. Burn that incense before the Lord like the priests were supposed to do. In other words do this priestly Activity and see if the Lord accepts your offering.

It's a test and then he says to them the man whom the Lord chooses Shall be holy. He's the one selected. You thought you were all set apart for being priest. We'll see what the Lord thinks and he concludes.

Moses says back to them. You have gone too far. Then starting in verse 8 he Moses rebukes them you Levites you were called to be separate from the rest of the nation. You had that you this you had this esteem position already by serving in the tabernacle.

You had this privilege of being brought near to the Lord being able to work in the tabernacle, but that wasn't good enough for you. You thought you deserve more than that. You wanted not just to be pre you wanted to be priest too.

And so he says you haven't just rebelled against Aaron. Not as you not only you just resent Aaron the rightful priest, but you've rebelled against the Lord in my opinion. This area probably most of the south is full of men who were probably called to help to be deacons.

To maybe to teach Sunday school to help in the ministry of the church and maybe they did it. Well, maybe they were just gifted and they were just did their role. Well, and then something happened. Pride.

Puff them up. They it wasn't good enough just to serve. Their service their their class that wasn't enough. And so they had to be it'd be the center of attention. It'd be the preacher and so they leave it a breakaway group to listen to them.

Pride causes rebellions. Notice the day than a Byram are so proud. They won't even submit to the terms of Moses's death. I mean this began is we should all be able to act like priests and so Moses gives an opportunity.

Okay, come and do it and see what happens. And now they say no way we will not come up. That's just the way rebels are. Defiantly. No, we're not gonna do whatever you say. We're not gonna do it. That's the way rebels are.

It doesn't matter what you tell them they want to do. Anything they're told here they even ridiculously complain notice verse 13 because this is the way rebels sound. This is how ridiculous they are. You have brought us up.

You have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey. Okay, that's Egypt. They're referring to understand. They call Egypt where they were slaves. By the same term the Lord caused the promised land.

That was their house of slavery and now they're calling it a land flowing of milk and honey. What in the world. Rebels confuse slavery this world this present evil age. They confuse it with the promised land with heaven.

They then they say to Moses, you know, you've not brought you brought us into this wilderness this desert. You haven't brought us notice verse 14. You have not you it's your fault Moses. You haven't brought us into the promised land you haven't brought us to fields and vineyards like you said you would you know, but the fact is you remember just a couple chapters before this that the only reason they They aren't entering the promised land flowing with milk and honey.

The only reason they're not going into it right now as they are complaining is because they refuse to go Moses but they did it. So instead here they accused Moses of wanting to make himself a prince. Rebels don't take responsibility for their sin.

It's someone else's fault. Someone else's fault that they're still a drunk or there's still a drug addict or they're still in bondage to some sexual perversion or promiscuity. To immorality. It's someone else's fault that our relationships are also messed up.

You Traumatized me by calling my choices sinful. So Moses finally is very angry. This is the first time Moses you think would've been angry before now that finally ticks him off and he asked the Lord not to accept their offerings.

The Consequences of Rebellion: Death, Judgment, and the Need for Atonement

The cause is pride. What are the consequences? Well, they'll see the next day. Cora's rebellion has spread through the whole nation. Notice verse 19. Cora has assembled notices in verse 19. Cora has assembled all the Congregation against Moses and Aaron.

That's one of the consequences of rebellion. It's contagious. The people are now following Cora. Cora is now there a leader. If it were a democracy and they took a vote Cora would win. But this is the Lord's nation not the people's.

So the Lord speaks to Moses and Aaron in verse 20. Telling them to separate from the rest of the people so that the Lord can wipe them all out. But Moses and Aaron for the second time. Falling their faces they're praying they're interceding.

They're not putting themselves above the congregation. Are they they're serving them. They're calling out to the Lord calling him in verse 22 the God of the spirits of all flesh. Interesting title for God, isn't it?

They blame that rebellion on Cora. They say it's one man's sin. Don't blame the whole congregation. One man led them into sin. Now he was probably a very charismatic attractive leader and Entertaining speaker.

A Confident fast talker. The kind of personality that people just naturally flock to. The kind that gets elected in democracies. Or takes over churches because of their charm their authority their confidence.

Which people mistake for being called by God which they'll sometimes call. Oh, he's anointed. Evidently Moses and Aaron are right to put most of the blame on Cora. It's his fault one man's sin because the Lord listens to their appeal and instead of telling them to separate from all the nation.

Tells the nation to separate from the tents of Cora. Dathan and a Byram. Moses then goes out into there. You can imagine this vast campsite out there in the desert goes out to the neighbors of Dathan and Byram there's two rebels the two who were too arrogant to even accept Moses's challenge and Tells him, you know tells the neighbors there get as far away from Dathan the Byram's tents as you can and he warns them Tuts nothing of theirs lest you be swept away in their sins so they believe Moses they moved away leaving kind of an empty space.

A Boundary marker around Dathan and a Byram if they were afraid they didn't show it. They defiantly come out to the entrance of the doors of their tents. Staying there with their families and so Moses puts himself to the test.

Here's the second test in this passage. He put himself to the test in verse 28 hereby. You shall know that The Lord has sent me to do these works and it is not of my own accord. These men if they died normally of old age or some natural disease.

Like normal people do then he says the Lord has not sent me. But it but in verse 30 if the Lord creates something new literally in Hebrew, it's an interesting phrase literally it it's if the Lord creates a Creation and the word for create there is a special word used only for God.

Only God does this kind of creating is found in the very first verse of the Bible in the beginning. God Created here if the Lord creates something that only he can create. It's not some accident you can blame on.

You know, they got a disease they got a bacteria. I got a virus if it is some normal death happens to them. They got a heart attack then I'm a fraud. I'm only out for power like you say. But if the Lord does something only he can do.

The ground opens up and swallows them then you'll know. That these men aren't just protesting me, but that they have despised the Lord. Doesn't take any time. Immediately says it happens the ground under them splits open they fall in.

Everyone in their families everything they have falls in and then the ground closes back up again. They wouldn't go up to meet Moses in the tabernacle. So the Lord makes them go down to their graves. The people standing around.

Panicked you imagine they they fled they're screaming, you know, they're gonna swallow me up to the scurrying away like, you know mice. Meanwhile back at the tabernacle the same time. There's those 250 Notable men chiefs of the people followers of Korah.

They're there in the tabernacle offering their incense and Fire comes shooting out from the Lord from the Holy of Holies and burns them all up completely with their incense. The consequences of pride of rebellion is death.

Our God is a consuming fire. His judgment brings death to us because of our sins. You know if there is no atonement if there's no high priest mediating between us and God appeasing God's wrath. The consequence of that is death.