The Rebellion of Korah and Others

The Book of Numbers records that some people openly defied God’s will. The most brazen of these was Korah, a Levite from the Kohathite clan. Korah’s faction, along with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab from the tribe of Reuben, rebelled. Unwilling to simply follow the guidance of the Aaronic priesthood, Korah questioned Aaron’s priestly status and accused Moses and Aaron of being dictators. Dathan and Abiram, on the other hand, rebelled against Moses’ leadership for political reasons. The Kohathites of the tribe of Levi and the tribe of Reuben both camped on the south side of the tabernacle, occupying a place of honor “to the right” of the tabernacle. Yet these two groups of honored people conspired and rebelled, seeking an even more esteemed position.

Additionally, 250 respected leaders of the Israelite assembly gathered to challenge Moses and Aaron, questioning Moses’ authority and Aaron’s priesthood. They did not believe that God had chosen Moses and Aaron, thinking instead that the two had appointed themselves as leaders. They even called them incompetent. These Israelite leaders not only failed to examine their own faults but also shifted blame, attributing their inability to enter the Promised Land to Moses.

Faced with this challenge, Moses did not argue for himself but handed the matter over to God. Moses instructed Korah’s group and Aaron to each take their censers, put incense in them, and present themselves before the Lord. So they each took their censers, put fire in them, added incense, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Korah gathered the entire assembly against Moses and Aaron, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all of them. Moses told everyone to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then, fire and lightning came down from heaven, and the ground beneath the rebels’ feet split open, swallowing them and all who followed them alive into Sheol. Fire from the Lord also consumed the 250 men who were offering incense. However, God did not stop using Korah’s descendants because of the rebellion. The prophet Samuel and Heman, the leader of David’s choir, were both descendants of Korah, and more than ten psalms were written by his descendants.

Next, Moses instructed all the leaders to take twelve staffs, one for each tribe. The chief of each tribe wrote his name on his staff, and Aaron’s name was written on the staff for the tribe of Levi. The staffs were then left before the Ark of the Covenant overnight. In the morning, only Aaron’s staff had budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds. With this, God proved that He had chosen Aaron and that Aaron had not appointed himself as leader.

Korah exalted the idea of “becoming holy” but refused to “remember and obey all of God’s commands” and submit to the authority God had established. The Book of Jude uses Korah as an example to warn Christians not to question God’s choice. The Bible tells us that such people “are doomed! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion” (Jude 11).

(Compiled and edited based on the Chinese Union Version, Holy Light Bible Geography, and a comprehensive biblical interpretation.)