Numbers 16:30, commentary and pictures

Moses staked the proof of his divine commission on this sign, that if the rebels died a common death God had not sent him, but if the Lord did an unprecedented miracle and the earth swallowed them alive, all would know they had provoked the Lord. As soon as he finished speaking the ground split beneath them, the earth opened and closed over them alive with their households, tents and all that belonged to them, and they perished from the congregation. Their rebellion against God's appointed leaders was rebellion against Jehovah Himself, working out on a narrower stage the same pride, ambition and complaint against God's government as Satan's rebellion in heaven. The account stands faithfully recorded as a warning to God's people upon whom the ends of the world come, because that history will be repeated near the close of time. Even at the warning of the opening earth forgiveness was lingering and judgment might have been stopped by repentance, for in mercy God distinguished between the leaders in rebellion and the deceived sympathizers and granted the deceived space to respond and be saved.

Setting and Wording

The verse belongs to the rebellion in which Korah and his associates publicly accused Moses and Aaron of seizing authority that should have been shared with them. That rebellion was extended, involving not only Korah, Dathan and Abiram but also two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, men of renown. It drew many sympathizers to its side. Their course was first to gain the sympathy and confidence of souls perishing for truth, then to tell a deceptive story that they were abused men when the abuse and imposition was on their own side, and then to sow seeds of doubt against those in whom the people should have confidence.

The words about the Lord making a new thing mean a new act of judgment by the Lord, an unprecedented and extraordinary judgment confirming the rebellion. The words about the earth opening her mouth mean the earth parting and opening to swallow Korah, Dathan, Abiram and all that belonged to them, including their households, tents and possessions. The words about going down quick or alive into the pit mean their descent alive into the pit, an unusual death by being swallowed alive that would prove they had provoked and defied the Lord. That miraculous sign would also confirm that Moses had been sent by the Lord and had not acted of his own mind or will, but was delivering what God had given him.

The later wish of Israel in the wilderness that they had died when their brethren died before the Lord refers to those destroyed in this rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram under God's miraculous judgment on its leaders, rather than facing thirst in the wilderness.

Test and Immediate Fulfillment

Moses staked everything on this sign as proof that he had been sent by the Lord and had not acted of his own mind to do all his works. If Korah, Dathan and Abiram died the common death of all men or were visited after the visitation of all men, that would show the Lord had not sent him. But if the Lord made a new thing and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up alive with all that appertained to them, with households, tents and possessions, down into the pit, then all Israel would understand that these men had provoked the Lord. That unusual death was appointed to show that rebellion against God's appointed leaders is provocation and defiance of the Lord Himself.

As soon as Moses ceased speaking, the ground split under them and the earth parted and opened. Their tents and all that pertained to them were swallowed up alive, they went down alive into the pit, the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the congregation. The fulfillment was immediate, making their destruction a fearful example of how the Lord will punish the rebellious.

The destruction was an extraordinary, marked, special and irresistible interference from heaven and interposition of providence. It was a terrible divine judgment and just wrath upon sin, exposing the rebellion and displaying God's power to the congregation. God controls even fire and water under the earth as His instruments to do His will, causing coal and oil to ignite and burn, the earth to tremble, heave and open, and villages, cities and burning mountains to be carried down together. These earthquake and fiery openings have destroyed very wicked cities in the past and will destroy them in the future in the same way, going down alive like Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and they are evidences of God's power that strike terror and awe.

Even at the warning of the opening earth, forgiveness was still lingering, and the nearness of God's judgment appealed to the rebels to repent. The coming destruction Moses warned Israel to flee from might even then have been stopped if Korah and his company had repented and sought forgiveness, but their stubborn persistence sealed their doom. In great mercy God distinguished between the leaders in rebellion and those they had led, restraining Himself from destroying the whole congregation and granting the deceived people who had sympathized to a greater or less degree and permitted themselves to be deceived still space for repentance, with overwhelming evidence to which they could respond and be saved if they recognized their sin and returned in humility.

The people fled from the judgment through fear of destruction, but their rebellion was not cured, and they returned to their tents that night terrified but not repentant. The next day the survivors falsely accused Moses and Aaron of killing the people of the Lord, showing how stubborn rebellion and confidence in their own judgment can deceive the mind and how deeply deception had taken hold. Thousands more died for that continued rebellion, putting them in danger of destruction. Afterward Israel was terrified, saw its past rebellion in its true light, was compelled to believe its fate was to die in the wilderness, acknowledged Moses and Aaron were right, and confessed that Korah and those who perished with him were sinners who had justly suffered God's wrath.

What Rebellion Means

To provoke the Lord in this verse means to rebel against His appointed leaders, for opposition to Moses and Aaron was defiance of the Lord Himself and rebellion against Jehovah. To reject God's chosen instrument was to reject Christ as the invisible leader and to insult the Spirit of God. Even after the earth swallowed the rebels alive with all that belonged to them, survivors still accused Moses of killing the people of the Lord, showing how stubborn rebellion deceives the mind. Their destruction stands as a fearful example of how the Lord will punish the rebellious and as a warning against resisting God-appointed authority.

On a narrower stage the rebellion worked out the same spirit that led to Satan's rebellion in heaven. Pride and ambition led Lucifer to complain against the government of God and to seek to overthrow the order established in heaven. After his fall Satan worked to put envy, discontent, ambition for position and honor, desire for self-exaltation, distrust and rebellion into men. He worked on the minds of Korah, Dathan and Abiram and caused them to reject God as their leader by rejecting the men of God's appointment, so that murmuring against Moses and Aaron became blasphemy against God.

Their sin was selfishness and fraud, seeking personal advantage from God's cause without bearing its burdens and giving it no religious strength. It was a moral infatuation that steeled the heart against the influence of the Holy Spirit. It was firm self-complacency and unwillingness to accept heaven-sent light, cherishing prejudice instead of the Spirit of God, refusing to be healed of backsliding, and showing contempt for the word of the Lord by despising His messengers and message with mockery, lightness, trifling, jesting and joking. They had separated from God until their hearts were no longer under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit, and the attributes of Satan were revealed in them in oppressing fellow men with an influence contrary to truth and justice and righteousness. Even when fraudulent transactions are concealed from fellow believers, God marks the course and will finally bring judgment according to works.

They were so deluded that they thought themselves righteous while regarding those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan. They believed they were serving God while opposing His chosen leader. Satan deluded them with the idea that they were opposing only a human leader, a man like themselves. They were deceived by Satan, but by their own consent, because they placed themselves in his power by refusing implicitly to trust and obey God.

Work rooted in self will not endure, while work done in God will stand. Disaffection cannot destroy a work that is truly of God, as the judgment on the rebels illustrates the seriousness of resisting the Lord. Those who claim great light and special exaltation from God while not obeying the light forfeit all right to have their power and voice respected as the voice of God. By mingling selfish human devising with their work, hurting God's servants, and sustaining men God could not favor, Korah, Dathan and Abiram cut themselves off from any sacred claim to authority, and leaders who entrench themselves behind the sacredness of office while doing the same forfeit that claim just as verily.

Warning for Last Days

The record of the judgment on Korah, Dathan and Abiram stands faithfully chronicled as a warning to God's people, especially to those on whom the ends of the world come and those living near the close of time. That history will be repeated. The rebellion was extended, involving not two men only but two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, men of renown, and genuine rebellion of this kind is hardly ever curable, to be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy. Those with knowledge of the truth must therefore sink the shaft deep into the mines of truth to distinguish precious ore from base material, the false from the genuine and the true Shepherd's voice from a stranger's, testing by fruits those who come with heresies claiming to undeceive the church, humbling themselves and sincerely repenting when easily led astray.

Satan leads persons to copy Korah, Dathan and Abiram by raising insurrection among God's people in opposition to plain testimony and to reproof of wrongs among them. They become self-deceived, thinking those bearing the burden of the work have exalted themselves and that their counsels and reproofs are uncalled for. Testimony against hurtful indulgences such as tea, coffee, snuff and tobacco irritates them because it would destroy their idols, leaving them undecided between conviction of truth and self-indulgence until appetite prevails and self is not denied. Their sense of sacred things is perverted, even by slow poisons, and a wall of separation rises between them and those cleansing themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. Finding relief in warring against straight testimonies, they declare the people all right and make the reproving testimonies the cause of trouble, and when the rebellious unfurl their banner all the disaffected and spiritually defective, the lame, the halt and the blind, rally around the standard to scatter and sow discord.

That history is repeated when people distort and misapply Scripture and God's warnings to support false ideas. It is repeated when men placed in responsible positions pursue ambitious projects, have pride wounded by straight testimonies sent to head them off, and have little faith in God's messages, so that it would not take a very strong movement to bring them to the same point of open opposition reached of old. It is repeated when people who need converting refuse to change thought and attitude in every way in order to work in Christ's lines, and instead criticize management the Lord is guiding, talking and making it appear mistakes were made where the Lord has been guiding. It is repeated when people separate from the church, accuse fellow believers, use its errors to promote their own ideas and methods, oppose God's work, and by self-deception call light darkness and truth error, placing themselves in the party of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.

Those who have light and evidence but will not see or acknowledge it walk not in the Lord's light but in sparks of their own kindling, and by unbelief and opposition imperil their own souls and the souls of followers. Cherishing firm self-complacency, prejudice, unsanctified independence and contempt for the word of the Lord by despising His messengers and message blinds the eyes, perverts judgment, obscures spiritual eyesight and insults the Spirit of God, and to act in it is to act their rebellion over again. Such are left to fall into the ditch and lie down in darkness and sorrow. Unless every soul humbles pride, confesses, repents and is converted to be healed and blessed, they will walk in darkness with the candlestick removed from its place.

Present Duty and Application

Reading the chapter demands a decisive separation of evil workers from the Lord's work and a changed heart, for persistent defiance brings judgment and reveals provocation of the Lord. Genuine rebellion of this kind is hardly ever curable, and it must be called by its right name as rebellion and apostasy, for it extended beyond two men to include two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, men of renown. The experience was faithfully chronicled to pass into history as admonition upon those on whom the ends of the world are come. Those with knowledge of the truth must therefore sink the shaft deep into the mines of truth to distinguish precious ore from base material, the false from the genuine, and the voice of the true Shepherd from that of a stranger. Those who come with heresies claiming to undeceive the church are to be tested by their fruits, with humility and sincere repentance when one has been easily led astray.

Work arising in the very midst that assails fellow workers, presents in a ridiculous light those appointed to do God's work, unjustly charges them with guilt, cuts off their influence, creates dissension in the church, creates false sympathy, and leads others into the same error endangers souls by causing the people to think brethren in whom they had confidence are no longer worthy of love and fellowship. Such work is an offense to God and must be met and not left in silence or uncertainty. On every point the accusers must be called upon to bring their proof, every charge must be carefully investigated, and the people must not be left to think it may be or may not be. Every unsubstantiated sign of reproach must be lifted, the people must be undeceived and not left to believe a lie, and the filthy garments with which the servant of God has been clothed must be removed.

The account warns against accusing and condemning those on whom God has placed the burden of His work. It exposes the course of first gaining the sympathy and confidence of souls perishing for truth, then telling a deceptive story of being abused men when the abuse and imposition was on their own side, and then sowing seeds of doubt against those in whom God would have the people have confidence. It is the act of those who come up and receive precious points of truth all prepared to their hand, costing them nothing though costing others much toil and sacrifice to bring out, and then turn with ingratitude to reproach those workers. Opposing God's testimonies and leading others into error is the work of Korah and his companions, and the judgment that followed showed who was right and who was wrong. Sowing distrust and resisting those God is guiding can bring a similar experience, making clear that distrustful rebellion against appointed leadership provokes the Lord.

That same pattern warns against resisting God's messengers and the message He sends. Rejecting the appointed messenger and message is contempt for the Lord's word bringing divine judgment, and applied to those resisting the message at Minneapolis it warns that unless they repent of defiant independence and insult to the Spirit of God they will remain in darkness. Persistent rejection of His warnings and opposition to His work faces His judgment, for rebellion against appointed authority is opposition to God Himself. Instruction from the account is appropriate for the present time to keep the whole flock from being fed with errors that cause them to go astray. Self-deception that calls light darkness and truth error, including rejecting the third angel's message and resisting the work of God's Spirit, will be exposed by decisive judgment. His service must be guided by His Spirit rather than by self-made plans, selfishness and conceit.

The very same spirit appears when hearts are no longer under the subduing power of the Holy Spirit and the attributes of Satan are revealed in oppressing fellow men with an influence contrary to truth and justice and righteousness. Men entrusted with weighty responsibilities who have no living connection with God indulge it when one institution desires to control all others and when workers oppress one another. To cast aside warnings God has sent again and again and venture on in the same course is to do despite to the Holy Spirit.