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| 1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: |
Now Korah – Teaches us that in God's estimation there is no holiness that does not include humility and full submission. R3100:2
Son of Levi – The uprising was amongst the consecrated Levites. R5268:2*
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| 2 and they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown; |
They rose up – Represents those who fail to recognize divine institutions in spiritual Israel. R4037:5
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| 3 and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and Jehovah is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of Jehovah? |
Gathered themselves – Typical of the opposition engendered against the Lord's harvest work: "Why so high a standard?" R5268:3*
Too much upon you – "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." (1 Cor 10:10) R2300:4
Had they recognized the Lord as Governor they would have accepted Moses as his representative. R4047:1
So some ignore Jesus and talk of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. R4047:2
Thus Christ calls not all, but a special class. R4047:2
The Lord sets the members in the Body, we are not to set ourselves. R4047:3
LORD is among them – Boastfulness is not a sign of piety, but of the reverse. R2300:5
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| 4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: |
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| 5 and he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, In the morning Jehovah will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near unto him. |
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| 6 This do: take your censers, Korah, and all his company; |
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| 7 and put fire in them, and put incense upon them before Jehovah tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom Jehovah doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. |
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| 8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear now, ye sons of Levi: |
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| 9 seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them; |
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| 10 and that he hath brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee? and seek ye the priesthood also? |
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| 11 Therefore thou and all thy company are gathered together against Jehovah: and Aaron, what is he that ye murmur against him? |
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| 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, We will not come up: |
We will not come up – Where the heart is wrong it cannot be guided by reason. R3100:3
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| 13 is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us? |
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| 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up. |
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| 15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto Jehovah, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. |
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| 16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before Jehovah, thou, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow: |
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| 17 and take ye every man his censer, and put incense upon them, and bring ye before Jehovah every man his censer, two hundred fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each his censer. |
Censer – Pictures the bringing forth of many tracts and pamphlets by those who oppose the harvest work. R5268:4*
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| 18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. |
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| 19 And Korah assembled all the congregation against them unto the door of the tent of meeting: and the glory of Jehovah appeared unto all the congregation. |
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| 20 And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, |
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| 21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. |
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| 22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? |
Of the spirits – Ruach, life-power, spirit of life. E314
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| 23 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
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| 25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. |
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| 26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. |
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| 27 So they got themselves up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones. |
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| 28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that Jehovah hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. |
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| 29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then Jehovah hath not sent me. |
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| 30 But if Jehovah make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then ye shall understand that these men have despised Jehovah. |
Earth open – Possibly showing being swallowed up by worldliness, business, etc. R5268:4
Into the pit – Sheol, oblivion, the death-state. E356; R828:3
Typical, here, of the Second Death. R3100:5, R138:4* Numbers 16:32
Swallowed them up – Thus worldliness or various false ideas have swallowed or buried in oblivion, as far as leadership is concerned, some who have become heady and have been rejected by the Lord. R3100:6
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| 31 And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them; |
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| 32 and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. |
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| 33 So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly. |
Into the pit – Not only Korah, but his house and household goods all went into hell. HG556:2
They perished – Typifying the everlasting destruction of those who would despise the antitypical Moses and his redemptive work. R4037:5
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| 34 And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up. |
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| 35 And fire came forth from Jehovah, and devoured the two hundred fifty men that offered the incense. |
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| 36 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are holy, |
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| 38 even the censers of these sinners against their own souls; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before Jehovah, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. |
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| 39 And Eleazar the priest took the copper censers, which they that were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar, |
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| 40 to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, that is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before Jehovah; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as Jehovah spake unto him by Moses. |
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| 41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of Jehovah. |
Israel murmured – Instead of recognizing the justice of the Lord in dealing with those who were rebellious against his divine arrangements. R5268:4*
Typifying some who now falsely accuse the Lord's true servants when the Lord himself has ceased to use some unfaithful servant. R3101:1
This same spirit may be noted in our day. How many there are who, because not right at heart, are more or less in sympathy with those with whom the Lord has no sympathy. R3100:6
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| 42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Jehovah appeared. |
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| 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting. |
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| 44 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. |
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| 46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take thy censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from Jehovah; the plague is begun. |
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| 47 And Aaron took as Moses spake, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. |
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| 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. |
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| 49 Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundren, besides them that died about the matter of Korah. |
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| 50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tent of meeting: and the plague was stayed. |
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