Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
After the destruction of Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their supporters, the congregation still gathered against Moses and Aaron, blaming them for the deaths and believing the judged men were martyrs. God commanded Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation so He could consume them in a moment, and His glory appearing over the tabernacle made His presence manifest against their continued defiance. Their falling upon their faces was earnest intercession, for Moses prostrated himself and pleaded that the guilty people be spared and pardoned, and his pleading held back their utter destruction. While remaining in prayer he sent Aaron to make atonement, and Aaron stood with his censer between the living and the dead until God answered that He would not consume Israel utterly, though nearly fifteen thousand died in the plague. Rejecting the leaders God appointed was rejecting God Himself, growing from pride and ambition into envy, jealousy and distrust that blinded the rebels to clear evidence and hardened them against correction. The account stands as admonition for God's people in the last days not to follow that unbelief and rebellion against God's order, with Moses here typifying Christ the True Shepherd who pleads for the people.
Setting and Meaning
The command comes the morning after Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their supporters were destroyed, when the congregation still continued in rebellion and gathered against Moses and Aaron. The people had fled in horror and returned to their tents terrified but not humbled, with prejudice against Moses so strong and rebellion so uncured that they charged him and Aaron with killing the Lord's people. They honestly believed the men swallowed by the earth were martyrs defending Israel, attributed God's judgment to Satan, and took witnessing of that judgment only as reason to oppose Moses more firmly. That false accusation revealed their sin and presumptuous defiance, and it drew thousands more under judgment.
God then told Moses and Aaron to get up and move away from the congregation gathered against them, so that He could consume and destroy them at once in a moment. The warning called for decisive action against rebellion, and His glory appearing over the tabernacle made His presence manifest and arrested the people who persisted in defiance even after seeing the rebels destroyed. They fell upon their faces not in mere fear but in earnest intercession.
Though Moses knew the rebellion deserved judgment and the people felt no need to humble themselves or intercede, he did not leave them to perish. Despite their cruel conduct toward him he kept the same loving interest in them, prostrated himself, and implored God to spare and pardon them. His pleading held back their complete destruction so the whole congregation would not perish in rebellion.
While remaining before the Lord in prayer he sent Aaron to make atonement as the plague began, so that his prayers would ascend with the incense and be acceptable to God. Aaron with his censer stood between the living and the dead until God answered that He would not consume Israel utterly. The plague still followed the renewed accusation against God's chosen leaders, and nearly fifteen thousand died.
The rebellion grew from pride and ambition leading to envy, jealousy, and distrust, and rejecting the leaders God appointed was rejecting God Himself. The rebels believed themselves righteous while accusing those who corrected them of evil motives. Settled rebellion blinded them to clear evidence, shaped their judgment by repeatedly sympathizing with wrong and calling sinful people holy, and made them hard to correct. Their rejection of the evidence and of the Holy Spirit's work hardened their hearts and sealed their doom.
Warning and Application
The history of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram stands written for instruction and admonition, warning against following their example of unbelief. It is given so that the danger of their unwise, rebellious conduct against God's order may be recognized and not repeated. Rebellion of that kind brings the threat of sudden destruction. The events recorded about them are examples to admonish God's people in the last days to learn from Israel's history.
Read in its chapter, the command to separate for consuming the congregation warns against work rooted in self and points to the enduring value of work done in God. Work arising from self will not endure, while work done in God will endure. Only God's own holy fire, kindled by Him, is safe. In the crisis Moses did not leave the people to perish, but though he knew their rebellion deserved judgment he prostrated himself and pleaded for them because they felt no need to humble themselves or intercede, and his pleading held back their complete destruction. In this he typifies Christ, the True Shepherd who pleads for the people, with Aaron's censer and intercession accompanying Moses' prayer as the plague began until Aaron stood between the living and the dead and God answered that He would not consume Israel utterly.
After Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their supporters were destroyed, the people continued to murmur against Moses and blamed him for the deaths. They honestly believed the men swallowed by the earth were martyrs defending Israel. Their judgment had been shaped by repeatedly sympathizing with wrong and calling sinful people holy, and witnessing God's judgment only made them more firmly opposed to Moses. The same hatred of reproof and resistance to correcting wrong is seen when order is set among God's people.
After the destruction of Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their supporters, the congregation still gathered against Moses and Aaron, blaming them for the deaths and believing the judged men were martyrs. God commanded Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation so He could consume them in a moment, and His glory appearing over the tabernacle made His presence manifest against their continued defiance. Their falling upon their faces was earnest intercession, for Moses prostrated himself and pleaded that the guilty people be spared and pardoned, and his pleading held back their utter destruction. While remaining in prayer he sent Aaron to make atonement, and Aaron stood with his censer between the living and the dead until God answered that He would not consume Israel utterly, though nearly fifteen thousand died in the plague. Rejecting the leaders God appointed was rejecting God Himself, growing from pride and ambition into envy, jealousy and distrust that blinded the rebels to clear evidence and hardened them against correction. The account stands as admonition for God's people in the last days not to follow that unbelief and rebellion against God's order, with Moses here typifying Christ the True Shepherd who pleads for the people.
Setting and Meaning
The command comes the morning after Korah, Dathan, Abiram and their supporters were destroyed, when the congregation still continued in rebellion and gathered against Moses and Aaron. The people had fled in horror and returned to their tents terrified but not humbled, with prejudice against Moses so strong and rebellion so uncured that they charged him and Aaron with killing the Lord's people. They honestly believed the men swallowed by the earth were martyrs defending Israel, attributed God's judgment to Satan, and took witnessing of that judgment only as reason to oppose Moses more firmly. That false accusation revealed their sin and presumptuous defiance, and it drew thousands more under judgment.
God then told Moses and Aaron to get up and move away from the congregation gathered against them, so that He could consume and destroy them at once in a moment. The warning called for decisive action against rebellion, and His glory appearing over the tabernacle made His presence manifest and arrested the people who persisted in defiance even after seeing the rebels destroyed. They fell upon their faces not in mere fear but in earnest intercession.
Though Moses knew the rebellion deserved judgment and the people felt no need to humble themselves or intercede, he did not leave them to perish. Despite their cruel conduct toward him he kept the same loving interest in them, prostrated himself, and implored God to spare and pardon them. His pleading held back their complete destruction so the whole congregation would not perish in rebellion.
While remaining before the Lord in prayer he sent Aaron to make atonement as the plague began, so that his prayers would ascend with the incense and be acceptable to God. Aaron with his censer stood between the living and the dead until God answered that He would not consume Israel utterly. The plague still followed the renewed accusation against God's chosen leaders, and nearly fifteen thousand died.
The rebellion grew from pride and ambition leading to envy, jealousy, and distrust, and rejecting the leaders God appointed was rejecting God Himself. The rebels believed themselves righteous while accusing those who corrected them of evil motives. Settled rebellion blinded them to clear evidence, shaped their judgment by repeatedly sympathizing with wrong and calling sinful people holy, and made them hard to correct. Their rejection of the evidence and of the Holy Spirit's work hardened their hearts and sealed their doom.
Warning and Application
The history of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram stands written for instruction and admonition, warning against following their example of unbelief. It is given so that the danger of their unwise, rebellious conduct against God's order may be recognized and not repeated. Rebellion of that kind brings the threat of sudden destruction. The events recorded about them are examples to admonish God's people in the last days to learn from Israel's history.
Read in its chapter, the command to separate for consuming the congregation warns against work rooted in self and points to the enduring value of work done in God. Work arising from self will not endure, while work done in God will endure. Only God's own holy fire, kindled by Him, is safe. In the crisis Moses did not leave the people to perish, but though he knew their rebellion deserved judgment he prostrated himself and pleaded for them because they felt no need to humble themselves or intercede, and his pleading held back their complete destruction. In this he typifies Christ, the True Shepherd who pleads for the people, with Aaron's censer and intercession accompanying Moses' prayer as the plague began until Aaron stood between the living and the dead and God answered that He would not consume Israel utterly.
After Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their supporters were destroyed, the people continued to murmur against Moses and blamed him for the deaths. They honestly believed the men swallowed by the earth were martyrs defending Israel. Their judgment had been shaped by repeatedly sympathizing with wrong and calling sinful people holy, and witnessing God's judgment only made them more firmly opposed to Moses. The same hatred of reproof and resistance to correcting wrong is seen when order is set among God's people.