And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle during the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, when the congregation had gathered against them over their authority and the dispute was placed before God for decision. As they came, the cloud covered the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appeared, and God told them to separate themselves from the congregation so He could consume the people in a moment. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, and Moses pleaded for the people to be spared while Aaron made atonement with incense standing between the living and the dead, so the plague was stayed and the whole congregation did not perish, though nearly fifteen thousand died for envy and jealousy. The rebellion repeats on a narrower stage the rebellion of Satan in heaven, where pride and ambition led to complaint against God's government, so that in rejecting Moses and Aaron as men of God's appointment the people rejected God as their leader and in murmuring against them blasphemed God. The account is recorded as instruction and warning for God's people in the last days against unbelief and following a rebellious example, for after the clearest evidence of God's displeasure to attribute His judgments to human agency hardens the heart against divine grace as the sin against the Holy Spirit.
Setting and Intercession
The coming before the tabernacle took place during the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, when the whole congregation gathered against Moses and Aaron in dispute over their authority and the dispute was thus placed before God. As they came before the tabernacle, the cloud covered the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appeared. There God told them to get up, move away, and withdraw from among the congregation so that He could consume the people in a moment.
At that word Moses and Aaron fell on their faces. Even after Israel's rebellion and cruel conduct toward him, Moses kept the same interest for the people as before. He remained before the Lord in prayer, falling on his face and imploring Him to spare and pardon the people.
While he remained before the Lord in prayer he had Aaron make an atonement for their sin, so that his prayers ascending with the incense would be acceptable to God and the whole congregation would not perish in their rebellion. Aaron made that atonement with incense, standing between the living and the dead until the plague was stopped. Yet nearly fifteen thousand died as the result of envy and jealousy.
This coming before the tabernacle was on the day after the destruction of Korah and his company. The people had returned to their tents terrified but not humbled, and rebellion and prejudice had so shaped their thinking that they still believed the men who had died were good and holy and that Moses had caused their deaths. They came to accuse Moses and Aaron of killing the people of the Lord, blamed Moses for the deaths, called the rebels martyrs, and treated them as martyrs. Their judgment had been shaped by sympathizing with wrongdoers and treating those God reproved as holy, so that even the judgment they had witnessed strengthened opposition, and the accusation shows that rebellion continued even after judgment.
Warning and Instruction
The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram repeats on a narrower stage the rebellion of Satan in heaven. Pride and ambition prompted Lucifer to complain against the government of God and to seek the overthrow of the order established in heaven, and since his fall he seeks to infuse the same envy and discontent and the same ambition for position and honor into men. He worked upon Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to arouse desire for self-exaltation and to excite envy, distrust, and rebellion. In rejecting Moses and Aaron as men of God's appointment they rejected God as their leader, and in murmuring against Moses and Aaron they blasphemed God. Yet they were so deluded as to think themselves righteous and to regard those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
The day after the destruction of Korah and his company the congregation came to accuse Moses and Aaron of killing the people of the Lord, and notwithstanding the most convincing evidence of God's displeasure in the destruction of the men who had deceived them, they dared to attribute His judgments to Satan, declaring that through the power of the evil one Moses and Aaron had caused the death of good and holy men. As Korah and his companions had rejected light until they were so blinded that the most striking manifestations of God's power were attributed to human or satanic agency, so this act sealed the people's doom. It was the sin against the Holy Spirit, by which man's heart is effectually hardened against the influence of divine grace. By deliberately rejecting as satanic the agency through which God communicates with man, the channel of communication between the soul and heaven is cut off, leaving no forgiveness.
Their judgment had been shaped by sympathizing with wrongdoers and treating those God reproved as holy, calling the destroyed rebels martyrs and blaming Moses for their deaths. Even the judgment they had witnessed strengthened their opposition to Moses. The account shows how hatred of reproof can persist after a clear demonstration of God's judgment.
The account of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram's rebellion is recorded as instruction and warning against unbelief and following a rebellious example. It was recorded to warn God's people in the last days, giving instruction appropriate for the present time to keep the whole flock from being fed with errors that will cause them to go astray. Rebellion against God leads people to act unwisely, and the history should prompt careful reflection and genuine repentance.
The coming of Moses and Aaron before the tabernacle means placing their work before God for Him to judge. Work done in self will not stand, and service mixed with self will not endure, while work done in God will endure. Only the holy fire of God's own kindling is safe to use, and no other. The chapter is the test by which true work is vindicated and false work fails.
The crisis in which Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle is a warning that God's servants must take decisive action against evil workers. Unchanged hearts cannot distinguish holiness from sin.
Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle during the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, when the congregation had gathered against them over their authority and the dispute was placed before God for decision. As they came, the cloud covered the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appeared, and God told them to separate themselves from the congregation so He could consume the people in a moment. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, and Moses pleaded for the people to be spared while Aaron made atonement with incense standing between the living and the dead, so the plague was stayed and the whole congregation did not perish, though nearly fifteen thousand died for envy and jealousy. The rebellion repeats on a narrower stage the rebellion of Satan in heaven, where pride and ambition led to complaint against God's government, so that in rejecting Moses and Aaron as men of God's appointment the people rejected God as their leader and in murmuring against them blasphemed God. The account is recorded as instruction and warning for God's people in the last days against unbelief and following a rebellious example, for after the clearest evidence of God's displeasure to attribute His judgments to human agency hardens the heart against divine grace as the sin against the Holy Spirit.
Setting and Intercession
The coming before the tabernacle took place during the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, when the whole congregation gathered against Moses and Aaron in dispute over their authority and the dispute was thus placed before God. As they came before the tabernacle, the cloud covered the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appeared. There God told them to get up, move away, and withdraw from among the congregation so that He could consume the people in a moment.
At that word Moses and Aaron fell on their faces. Even after Israel's rebellion and cruel conduct toward him, Moses kept the same interest for the people as before. He remained before the Lord in prayer, falling on his face and imploring Him to spare and pardon the people.
While he remained before the Lord in prayer he had Aaron make an atonement for their sin, so that his prayers ascending with the incense would be acceptable to God and the whole congregation would not perish in their rebellion. Aaron made that atonement with incense, standing between the living and the dead until the plague was stopped. Yet nearly fifteen thousand died as the result of envy and jealousy.
This coming before the tabernacle was on the day after the destruction of Korah and his company. The people had returned to their tents terrified but not humbled, and rebellion and prejudice had so shaped their thinking that they still believed the men who had died were good and holy and that Moses had caused their deaths. They came to accuse Moses and Aaron of killing the people of the Lord, blamed Moses for the deaths, called the rebels martyrs, and treated them as martyrs. Their judgment had been shaped by sympathizing with wrongdoers and treating those God reproved as holy, so that even the judgment they had witnessed strengthened opposition, and the accusation shows that rebellion continued even after judgment.
Warning and Instruction
The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram repeats on a narrower stage the rebellion of Satan in heaven. Pride and ambition prompted Lucifer to complain against the government of God and to seek the overthrow of the order established in heaven, and since his fall he seeks to infuse the same envy and discontent and the same ambition for position and honor into men. He worked upon Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to arouse desire for self-exaltation and to excite envy, distrust, and rebellion. In rejecting Moses and Aaron as men of God's appointment they rejected God as their leader, and in murmuring against Moses and Aaron they blasphemed God. Yet they were so deluded as to think themselves righteous and to regard those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.
The day after the destruction of Korah and his company the congregation came to accuse Moses and Aaron of killing the people of the Lord, and notwithstanding the most convincing evidence of God's displeasure in the destruction of the men who had deceived them, they dared to attribute His judgments to Satan, declaring that through the power of the evil one Moses and Aaron had caused the death of good and holy men. As Korah and his companions had rejected light until they were so blinded that the most striking manifestations of God's power were attributed to human or satanic agency, so this act sealed the people's doom. It was the sin against the Holy Spirit, by which man's heart is effectually hardened against the influence of divine grace. By deliberately rejecting as satanic the agency through which God communicates with man, the channel of communication between the soul and heaven is cut off, leaving no forgiveness.
Their judgment had been shaped by sympathizing with wrongdoers and treating those God reproved as holy, calling the destroyed rebels martyrs and blaming Moses for their deaths. Even the judgment they had witnessed strengthened their opposition to Moses. The account shows how hatred of reproof can persist after a clear demonstration of God's judgment.
The account of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram's rebellion is recorded as instruction and warning against unbelief and following a rebellious example. It was recorded to warn God's people in the last days, giving instruction appropriate for the present time to keep the whole flock from being fed with errors that will cause them to go astray. Rebellion against God leads people to act unwisely, and the history should prompt careful reflection and genuine repentance.
The coming of Moses and Aaron before the tabernacle means placing their work before God for Him to judge. Work done in self will not stand, and service mixed with self will not endure, while work done in God will endure. Only the holy fire of God's own kindling is safe to use, and no other. The chapter is the test by which true work is vindicated and false work fails.
The crisis in which Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle is a warning that God's servants must take decisive action against evil workers. Unchanged hearts cannot distinguish holiness from sin.