Numbers 19

Numbers 19

Numbers 19:1 Then Yahveh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said,

Numbers 19:2 “This is the prescription of the instruction that Yahveh has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a perfect red heifer, in which there is no flaw, and on which a yoke has never been placed.

Numbers 19:3 And you will give it to Eleazar, the priest, and it will be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in the sight of him.

Numbers 19:4 And Eleazar the priest will take some of its blood with his finger and spritz some of its blood toward the front of the conference tent seven times.

Numbers 19:5 And the heifer will be burned in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, will be burned.

Numbers 19:6 And the priest will take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn and toss them into the fire burning the heifer.

Numbers 19:7 Then the priest will wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward, he may come into the camp. But the priest will be contaminated until evening.

Numbers 19:8 The one who burns the heifer will wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and will be contaminated until evening.

Numbers 19:9 And a man who is pure will gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a pure place. And they will be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a failure offering.

Numbers 19:10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer will wash his clothes and be contaminated until evening. And this will be a permanent prescription for the people of Israel and for the foreign guest who sojourns among them.

Numbers 19:11 “Whoever touches the dead throat of any human will be contaminated seven days.

Numbers 19:12 He will purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be pure. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and the seventh day, he will not become pure.

Numbers 19:13 Whoever touches a dead throat of any human who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of Yahveh, and that throat will be eliminated from Israel; because the water for impurity was not tossed on him, he will be contaminated. His contamination is still on him.

Numbers 19:14 “This is the instruction when a human dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent will be contaminated for seven days.

Numbers 19:15 And every open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is contaminated.

Numbers 19:16 Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally or touches a human bone or a grave will be contaminated for seven days.

Numbers 19:17 For the contaminated they will take some ashes of the burnt failure offering, and fresh water will be added in a vessel.

Numbers 19:18 Then a pure person will take hyssop and dip it in the water and spritz it on the tent and all the furnishings and on the throats who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave.

Numbers 19:19 And the pure person will spritz it on the contaminated on the third day and the seventh day. Thus, on the seventh day, he will purify him, and he will wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and in the evening, he will be pure.

Numbers 19:20 “If the man who is contaminated does not purify himself, that throat will be eliminated from the midst of the collected assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of Yahveh. Because the water for impurity has not been tossed on him, he is contaminated.

Numbers 19:21 And it will be a permanent prescription for them. The one who spritzes the water for impurity will wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity will be contaminated until evening.

Numbers 19:22 And whatever the contaminated person touches will be contaminated, and any throat who touches it will be contaminated until evening.”

Numbers 19 quotes:

“But now, all the people — priests, Levites, and Nazirites included—find themselves in a camp with 14,700 corpses (Num. 16:49), plus the ashes of the 250 (16:35), and Korah and crowd underfoot (16:31-33)! How will any of them ever approach the Lord in this state, without making further additions to the casualties?”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 184.

“With such a recurrent emphasis on death it is natural that, at this point in the story, some instruction should be given to the Israelite people about how they should react to the presence of a dead body.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 162.

“Many times people will wonder whether a person may be completely forgiven for having done wrong. Any person not only can be forgiven, but he can be completely cleansed, as was done here.

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 109.

“A red heifer ritual cleansed the Israelites from ceremonial defilement.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 329.

“In chapter 19 God gives a standing ordinance for the purification of all uncleannesses, in the water of separation made of the ashes of a red heifer. By comparing Heb. 9:11-13 we see that this sacrifice, like all the others, pointed to Christ. This ceremony showed the purifying effect of the ashes of the sin-offering when applied to man by water, and typified the purifying effect which the remembrance of our Sin-offering (Christ) has, when applied by the Spirit.”

Saxe, Grace. Studies in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Grace Saxe, 1921. p. 43.

Numbers 19 links:

a maintained walk
contaminated by death
Dead souls, dying souls
looking beyond death

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Monday, May 3, 2021
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Wednesday, May 1, 2019

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

UNITY

UNITY

Psalm 133 ESV

A Song of Ascents. Of David. ¹ Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! ² It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! ³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

Israelite pilgrims probably sang the songs of ascent as they traveled to Jerusalem to worship the Lord during the annual festivals. As the believers climbed toward Jerusalem, they prepared themselves spiritually for the importance of their visit to Mount Zion. This particular Psalm is attributed to David. It celebrates the unity of God’s people.

I believe we Christians should meditate on this Psalm. Unity is also a significant theme in the New Testament. Jesus prayed for us to live in harmony with one another when he asked the Father that we may be one, just as he and the Father are one (John 17:21). The Apostle Paul taught us not to focus on our differences but to see ourselves as one in Christ. He knew that the Christians in his time had a lot of diversity. They had ethnic diversity because the gospel had spread to many nations, and now there were Greek Christians as well as Jewish Christians. He knew the gospel had been preached to both high-class nobility and lower-class slaves. He also knew that the good news had been proclaimed to and by women as well as men. So, he taught that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female — for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).”

Our relationship with Christ allows us to overlook our differences and treat each other as He commanded us to. He taught us to love, respect, and be considerate of one another. In fact, we are warned that if we only claim to love God but do not love each other, we are hypocrites. When we consider all these things the New Testament teaches about unity, we would be surprised if the same principles are not found in the Old Testament, the Bible Jesus read.

Some of the oldest Bible stories actually depict unity in a negative light. Adam and Eve were united in their defiance against the Lord in the garden, and the people of Babel were united in their attempt to disobey God’s command to scatter across the Earth.

But as revelation progresses, it becomes clear that God is not against human unity. He wants to unify us in a way that is different from the way we want to unify ourselves. We want to unify ourselves against his plan and against his heart. He wants to unify us according to his plan and in line with his heart. The way he wants to do that is to unify us in the Messiah. He wants us to be one in Christ.

The final book of the Bible, Revelation, reveals what this will look like in eternity. It shows us a vision of the redeemed from every tribe, language, people, and nation. But this vast multitude of people is one despite their former ethnic, geographic, social, and economic differences. They are the redeemed in Christ, and they are one. That’s what God wants.

Now that we have surveyed the concept of unity in the Bible, let’s examine the teachings of this particular passage.

Unity is a good thing (1).

We don’t use the word “behold” very often now, but it was frequently used in Bible times. We use it when we want to attract people’s attention to something. When we write something, we can do this by changing the font, underlining the word, or putting it in bold print. We are telling our readers to notice this word or phrase because it is crucial.

David wanted his readers to see that fraternal unity was a good and pleasant thing. He paints a picture with his words, portraying the entire nation sitting together as one person. We can understand how David could feel that way as king. He did not want his kingdom to be divided, he did not want civil war, and he wanted peace and harmony among the citizens of his nation.

But his words are more general than that. Perhaps he is expressing his gratitude for the peace that he has known in the United Israel. But he wants us to notice that God wants this of every nation.

Here is where the rubber meets the road for us in 21st-century America. This psalm reminds us that our country’s name is the United States. You all know that I rarely talk politics in the pulpit because I don’t think that is what this pulpit is for. But I need to address the reality that is all too evident in this nation today. We are taking sides and attacking each other. We are defining ourselves as us and condemning them. The last time we were polarized to such an extent, it resulted in a civil war.

God speaks to our current situation and calls us to peace, reconciliation, and unity. We need to recognize that unity is a good thing and that, as a nation, we are far from dwelling together in unity.

Unity is a calling (2).

David uses two similes to explain how good it is for brothers to be unified. In verse 2, he shows Aaron, the nation’s first high priest, being anointed with oil in his ordination ceremony. We watch as the anointing oil flows freely down Aaron’s head and drips down his beard to the collar of his robes. No one screams, “Somebody get a towel.” Nobody wants to clean up the mess. Why? Because this is the anointing oil. Aaron is the anointed of God. He is called to represent the people before God as their high priest.

Part of explaining Scripture is showing the connections between its words so that the readers understand how they relate. There are several connections here that are not obvious, so I need to point them out. First, as high priest, Aaron unified the whole nation of Israel. They were a multitude of people, coming from a dozen tribes, but they had only one high priest. When Aaron was anointed, he stood as a symbol of the unity of Israel.

Secondly, anointing oil was an ancient symbol of purity. People anointed their heads to cleanse them from impurity and keep bugs out. Thus, oil itself became a symbol of a promise to obey one’s calling with integrity. In the Ancient Near East, three types of people were ordained by an anointing ceremony: prophets, priests, and kings.

Each would be tempted to exercise their position in a self-centered way. Their anointing was a promise and commitment to avoid corruption and selfishness. The oil flowing down their heads was a symbol of a commitment to purity.

Thirdly, every prophet, priest, or king who was anointed realized that the Scriptures predicted a coming anointed one who would be God’s ultimate anointed one. He would be not just a prophet, not just a priest, and not just a king. He would be the prophet, the priest, and the king. He would be all three. He was called the Messiah: the Anointed One. Consequently, every anointing ceremony would itself be a foreshadowing of the great event of the coming of Christ. Thus, everyone who was anointed took on the responsibility of predicting Christ through their own life choices.

Unity is a calling. That is why the Apostle Paul called the church, “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). He says that we “were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

We have not all been anointed with oil, but all of us have been anointed with God’s Holy Spirit. We have been given different gifts, but we are expected to use our gifts to build one another up “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God — a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature” Ephesians 4:13). So, just like Aaron in Psalm 133, every Christian is anointed. Our calling is to represent Christ as we grow to be more like him.

Unity is a blessing (3).

The simile changes in verse three. We are told that unity is like the dew of Hermon, but we don’t know who Hermon is. Mount Hermon is a high, snow-capped mountain located in the northern region. The picture is of the dew from this distant high mountain descending into the area of Zion, way to the South. We have heard of mountains being so large that they create their own weather. Something like that seems to be implied here. The difficulty is that there are numerous mountains in Israel, many of them in Judah itself, which is much closer to Jerusalem than Mount Hermon is. So, why did David draw attention to Mount Hermon?

I can only guess, but this is my guess. David chose a distant mountain to show us that the unity we can experience today is only an approximation of the unity we will experience when Christ returns. The dew from Hermon is a blessing upon all the pilgrims from the north as they make their way to Jerusalem for the feast. Our present unity is a blessing as well. But what we have in store when our Savior comes to reign is the blessing that the LORD commanded at Zion.

And what is that blessing? Life forevermore! Unity is good and pleasant, but the command of our God is more than unity. God wants more from us than merely getting along with others. He wants us all to make it to his destiny for us. As pilgrims together, we are blessed by the cooling dew from Mount Hermon, but we are all on our way to something even better. We are on our way to Zion. There the LORD has commanded the ultimate blessing: eternal life.

Some churches teach that we all already have eternal life. But that is not what this church teaches. The word of God speaks of a judgment day. The sheep and the goats will be separated. The goats will go to the punishment of permanent destruction, while the sheep will go to permanent life. The lost will die the second death, while the saved will get a second life. This second life will be the blessing that the LORD pronounced on Zion: life forevermore.

It is fitting that this short psalm about unity concludes by reminding us that something more important than unity exists. The unity in the Garden of Eden ended with our ancestors being expelled from paradise. The unity at Babel resulted in disorder and scattering. As we journey on this pilgrim path, we should all aim to get along with each other. However, our ultimate goal is not merely coexistence but to attain the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Communion Meditation:

Ephesians 2:15

“(Christ) nullified in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace.”

After Christ’s death on the cross, there is only one people of God. He made forgiveness possible for both Jews and Gentiles. He enabled a unity based not on pedigree or works accomplished. His death made it possible for all of us to approach the throne of God based on his perfect work, not our imperfect works.

Numbers 18

Numbers 18

Numbers 18:1 So Yahveh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you will bear the violation connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will bear the violation connected with your priesthood.

Numbers 18:2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and serve you while you and your sons with you are at the face of the tent of the reminder.

Numbers 18:3 They will keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but will not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar or else they, and you, will die.

Numbers 18:4 They will join you and keep guard over the conference tent for all the service of the tent, and no unauthorized person will come near you.

Numbers 18:5 And you will keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, so that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel.

Numbers 18:6 And notice, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to Yahveh, to do the service of the conference tent.

Numbers 18:7 And you and your sons with you will guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you will serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any unauthorized person who comes near will be put to death.”

Numbers 18:8 Then Yahveh spoke to Aaron, “notice, I have given you charge of the contributions made to me, all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a permanent due.

Numbers 18:9 This will be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every tribute offering of theirs and every failure offering of theirs and every reparation offering of theirs, which they render to me, will be most holy to you and to your sons.

Numbers 18:10 In a most holy place will you eat it. Every male may eat it; it is holy to you.

Numbers 18:11 This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the presentation offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a permanent due. Everyone who is pure in your house may eat it.

Numbers 18:12 All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to Yahveh, I give to you.

Numbers 18:13 The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Yahveh, will be yours. Everyone who is pure in your house may eat it.

Numbers 18:14 Every devoted thing in Israel will be yours.

Numbers 18:15 Everything that opens the uterus of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to Yahveh, will be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn human you will redeem, and the firstborn of contaminated animals you will redeem.

Numbers 18:16 And their redemption price (at a month old you will redeem them) you will fix at five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.

Numbers 18:17 But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you will not redeem; they are holy. You will spritz their blood on the altar and will burn their fat as a fire offering, with a pacifying aroma to Yahveh.

Numbers 18:18 But their flesh will be yours, as the breast that is waved and as the right thigh are yours.

Numbers 18:19 All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to Yahveh I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a permanent due. It is a covenant of salt forever at the face of Yahveh for you and for your offspring with you.”

Numbers 18:20 And Yahveh said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, neither will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.

Numbers 18:21 “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the conference tent,

Numbers 18:22 so that the people of Israel do not come near the conference tent, lest they pay for their failure and die.

Numbers 18:23 But the Levites will do the service of the conference tent, and they will bear their violation. It will be a permanent prescription throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they will have no inheritance.

Numbers 18:24 Because the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to Yahveh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they will have no inheritance among the people of Israel.”

Numbers 18:25 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 18:26 “Moreover, you will speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you will present a contribution from it to Yahveh, a tithe of the tithe.

Numbers 18:27 And your contribution will be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and like the fullness of the winepress.

Numbers 18:28 So you will also present a contribution to Yahveh from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you will give Yahveh’s contribution to Aaron the priest.

Numbers 18:29 Out of all the gifts to you, you will present every contribution due to Yahveh; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’

Numbers 18:30 Therefore you will say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest will be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and like produce of the winepress.

Numbers 18:31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, because it is your reward in return for your service in the conference tent.

Numbers 18:32 And you will pay for your failure by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you will not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, or else you will die.'”

Numbers 18 quotes:

“Now, once more, it’s time to regroup. Boundaries have been crossed, relationships shattered. Somehow they must be restored. The smells of fire and death still hang over their tents, the grave of Korah and crowd runs like a ravine through their midst, and the bronze covering the altar and the almonds on Aaron’s rod have yet to lose their sheen. Momentarily, at least, Israel is alert and attentive. Indeed, the last words heard in the camp cry out from the very bowels of God’s people: “Are we all to perish?””

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 181

“Thus the people are taught that in that very priesthood which they had so despised and spoken against, they were to find their security ; and at the same time God offsets any tendency to conceit in Aaron, by laying upon him the holy responsibilities, as well as the privileges of the priesthood.”

Saxe, Grace. Studies in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Grace Saxe, 1921. p. 43.

“The priests and Levites would not be able to serve with the singleminded devotion the work demanded if they were troubled about life’s material necessities. The initial set of rules describes how the priests were to be maintained (8-20), before outlining the prescribed support for the Levites (21-32). The passage suggests some important guidelines regarding our own financial responsibilities towards God’s servants.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 157.

“The rules about tithes and firstlings show how Israel was to acknowledge the ministry of the priests and Levites (ch. 18).”

“Inasmuch as the Levites did not work for a living, but depended upon the tithes, Moses spelled out just what was to belong to them. Everything—oil, grain, and meat—was to be tithed to support the Levites.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 106.

Numbers 18 links:

a maintained walk
all the best
or die
two gifts for the priests

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 17

Numbers 17

Numbers 17:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 17:2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each father’s house, from all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff,

Numbers 17:3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. Because there will be one staff for the head of each father’s house.

Numbers 17:4 Then you will deposit them in the conference tent at the face of the reminder, where I meet with you.

Numbers 17:5 And the staff of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus, I will make to cease from me the complaints of the people of Israel, which they complain about you.”

Numbers 17:6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. All their leaders gave him staffs, one for each leader, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. The staff of Aaron was among their staffs.

Numbers 17:7 And Moses deposited the staffs at the face of Yahveh in the tent of the reminder.

Numbers 17:8 On the next day, Moses went into the tent of the reminder and noticed that Aaron’s staff for the house of Levi had sprouted, put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

Numbers 17:9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from at the face of Yahveh to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff.

Numbers 17:10 And Yahveh said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron at the face of the reminder, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, or else they will die.”

Numbers 17:11 This is what Moses did. He did what Yahveh commanded him.

Numbers 17:12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Notice, we are expiring,[1] we are perishing, we are all perishing.

Numbers 17:13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahveh, will die. Are we going to finish up expiring?”

[1] גָּוַע = expire. Numbers 17:12, 13; 20:3, 29.

Numbers 17 quotes:

“In the startling events at the Tent of Meeting, the people had just been given undeniable proof of the divine authenticity of the priesthood, but the Lord knew that not everyone would be convinced. He knew all about ‘that disease of obstinacy’ which still maintained ‘its secret hold upon their hearts’.! So, to the existing ‘sign’ of the bronze altar-covering (16:36-38), he added another. Some who could be overwhelmed by an expression of instant wrath might be persuaded by a manifestation of continuing mercy. Therefore, the Lord added to the daunting testimony of death (the bronze altar-covering), a persuasive testimony of life. A further sign, a fruit-bearing staff, was to be kept as a sign to the rebellious (10).”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 152.

“Aaron’s family is established as the true priesthood.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 321.

“Each tribe must bring a rod with their name upon it; and these rods, together with one bearing Aaron’s name, were to be laid up in the Tabernacle before the Lord. The next day, when they were brought forth, they were all the same dead sticks as before, with the exception of Aaron’s rod, which had budded and blossomed, and borne fruit. So the question as to whom God had appointed as high priest was settled by this sign, bringing life out of the dead stick, making the dead to live. Was not the question as to whom God has appointed to be our High Priest settled by the same sign-— making the dead to live? The resurrection of Christ proved Him to’ be what He claimed.”

Saxe, Grace. Studies in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Grace Saxe, 1921. p. 43.

“Thus these three stories reiterate clearly and unequivocally God’s choice of Aaron. He is the pre-eminently holy one. Only he can draw near to God. Only he can make atonement for Israel’s sin. Israel must acknowledge his unique place in the scheme of salvation by not usurping his prerogatives and by supporting his ministry financially.’

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (p. 157). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Numbers 17 links:

a submissive walk
from accusation to fear
Perish the thought

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Wednesday, May 3, 2023

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 16

Numbers 16

Numbers 16:1 Then Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.

Numbers 16:2 And they rose at the face of Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 leaders of the congregation, chosen from the collection, well-known men.

Numbers 16:3 They collected themselves together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! Because all in the congregation are sacred, every one of them, and Yahveh is among them. Why, then, do you exalt yourselves above the collected assembly of Yahveh?”

Numbers 16:4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,

Numbers 16:5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning Yahveh will show who is his, and who is sacred, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.

Numbers 16:6 Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company;

Numbers 16:7 put fire in them and put incense on them at the face of Yahveh tomorrow, and the man whom Yahveh chooses will be the sacred one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”

Numbers 16:8 And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:

Numbers 16:9 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 do service in the tabernacle of Yahveh and to stand at the face of the congregation to minister to them,

Numbers 16:10 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?

Numbers 16:11 Therefore, it is against Yahveh that you and all your company have collected. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

Numbers 16:12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up.

Numbers 16:13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the open country, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?

Numbers 16:14 Moreover, you have not brought us 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.”

Numbers 16:15 And Moses was furious and said to Yahveh, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

Numbers 16:16 And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, at the face of Yahveh, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.

Numbers 16:17 And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring to the face of Yahveh his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.”

Numbers 16:18 So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the conference tent with Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 16:19 Then Korah collected all the congregation against them at the entrance of the conference tent. And the impressive appearance of Yahveh appeared to all the congregation.

Numbers 16:20 And Yahveh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said:

Numbers 16:21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”

Numbers 16:22 And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the breaths of all flesh, will one man make a failure, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”

Numbers 16:23 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said

Numbers 16:24 “Say to the congregation, Get away from the staying of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

Numbers 16:25 Then Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

Numbers 16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, and this is what he said, “Get away, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or else[1] you will be swept away with all their sins.”

Numbers 16:27 So they got away from the staying 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.

Numbers 16:28 And Moses said, “As a result of this, you will know that Yahveh has sent me to do all these works and that it has not been of my own accord.

Numbers 16:29 If these men die as all men die, or if the fate of all humanity visits them, then Yahveh has not sent me.

Numbers 16:30 But if Yahveh creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised Yahveh.”

Numbers 16:31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.

Numbers 16:32 And the land opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their belongings.

Numbers 16:33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the ground closed over them, and they were destroyed from the midst of the collected assembly.

Numbers 16:34 And all Israel who were around them ran away at their cry because they said, “Or else the ground will swallow us up!”

Numbers 16:35 And fire came out from Yahveh and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

Numbers 16:36 Then Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 16:37 “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide because they have become sacred.

Numbers 16:38 As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their throats, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar because they offered them at the face of Yahveh, and they became sacred. Thus, they will be a sign to the people of Israel.”

Numbers 16:39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar,

Numbers 16:40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no unauthorized person, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense at the face of Yahveh, or else he will become like Korah and his congregation — as Yahveh said to him through Moses.

Numbers 16:41 But on the next day, all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said: “You have killed the people of Yahveh.”

Numbers 16:42 And when the congregation had collected against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the conference tent. And notice, the cloud covered it, and the impressive appearance of Yahveh appeared.

Numbers 16:43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the conference tent,

Numbers 16:44 and Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said

Numbers 16:45 “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.

Numbers 16:46 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 provide reconciliation for them, because wrath has gone out from Yahveh; the plague has begun.”

Numbers 16:47 So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the collected assembly. And notice that the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.

Numbers 16:48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

Numbers 16:49 Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah.

Numbers 16:50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the conference tent, when the plague was stopped.

[1]פֶּן = or else. Numbers 16:26; 20:18.

Numbers 16 quotes:

“Korah wanted to get close to God’s fire; 250 do get close to God’s fire, literally: they are “consumed” (v. 35). Dathan and Abiram are upset that Moses lords it “over them”; well, now everybody will stand “over them,” as they are swallowed alive down beneath the earth (v. 32). The people are concerned that Moses is the cause of the killing; so the Lord commences to kall by that form so frequent in Exodus through Numbers: the plague (v. 46).”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 177.

“In this book’s unfolding story we again switch suddenly from one literary genre to another. Yet the abrupt transition is more apparent than real. Obedience is a central theme in chapter 15 and is followed by a story relating the tragic consequences of disobedience (16:1-50).”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 142.

“The natural man does not like to be controlled. We see this in a baby and especially in a three-or four-year-old. It is particularly noticeable in a group if the one in control is a meek, humble person. The people under him oftentimes do not want to be told what to do. The history of Israel is marked by the notorious rebellion of Korah, a leader under Moses.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 100.

“Attempts to override God’s authority will meet with his judgment.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 319.

Numbers 16 links:

a submissive walk
dangerous discontent
Excursus- Sheol- The Old Testament Consensus
going too far
introducing the breath of God
Perish the thought
Sheol in the Bible- The Old Testament Consensus
swept away

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library