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KORAH'S REBELLION (NUM.16)
>>ENTER KORAH, DATHAN, AND ABIRAM!
One day Korah, the son of Izhar (a descendant of the Kohathite Clans of Levi) THE CLAN GIVEN THE SPECIAL TASK OF CARRYING THE ARK ON THEIR SHOULDERS, conspired with Dathan and Abiram (Eliab’s son), and On (Peleth’s son) from the tribe of Reuben, and they rose up in rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community (all prominent members of the assembly). They all united against Moses and Aaron saying, “YOU’VE BOTH GONE TOO FAR NOW! All of Yisharal has been set apart by Yahuah, not just you two! He’s with all of us you know! SO WHERE DO YOU GUYS GET OFF BEHAVING ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY AS THOUGH YOU’RE BETTER THAN THE REST OF US?”
AN INTERESTING MIXTURE OF EVIL ALLIES, KORAH WAS A LEVITE FROM THE LINE OF KOHATH AND DATHAN AND ABIRAM WERE FROM THE TRIBE OF REUBEN. SO WHAT IN THE WORLD BROUGHT THESE MUTINEERS TOGETHER? PHYSICAL PROXIMITY!! BOTH OF THESE GROUPS WERE CAMPED TOGETHER ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE WILDERNESS TABERNACLE AND LIVED RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER. YES THE LEVITES WERE CAMPED ONE INNER RING CLOSER TO THE SET-APART PLACE SINCE THEY WERE THE CLAN ASSIGNED TO BE A PHYSICAL SHIELD WITH THE PURPOSE OF SURROUNDING AND PROTECTING THE TABERNACLE. NEVERTHELESS, DUE TO THEIR CLOSE PROXIMITY, THE LIVES OF THE TRIBE OF REUBEN AND LEVI WERE QUITE INTERMINGLED. THEY ATE TOGETHER AND I’M SURE HAD MANY OF THOSE LONG NIGHT DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THEIR LIVES. I MEAN WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GUNNA DO IN THE DESERT?
And when Moses heard this, he fell face-down on the ground, saying to Korah and his followers, “ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL? . . . OK, tomorrow morning Yahuah will show us just who belongs to Him and WHO IS SET-APART cause He only lets those Who He chooses to enter His presence. BETTER GET CRACK’IN KORAH, GO ON NOW, you and all your followers need to prepare your burners now, cause tomorrow you’ll be burning incense to Yahuah. Then we’ll really see who He chooses as His anointed one. NOW GET OUTTA MY FACE AND TAKE YOUR DREADFUL BEHAVIOUR WITH YOU.....TOO FAR YOU SAY?.... TOO FAR? YOU LEVITES ARE THE ONES WHO’VE GONE TOO FAR!! Isn’t it good enough that Yahuah, the Alahim of all Yisharal, has singled you guys out from the whole community, giving you the immense privilege of drawing near to Him, allowing you access to His Tabernacle, and assisting the people in their sacrifices? WHAT? NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU PRINCESSES? Korah, Yahuah has already anointed you and your fellow Levites for this special service. You want the priesthood as well now? YOU CAN TAKE ALL OF YOUR COMPLAINTS AGAINST AARON AND WELL AND TRULY SHOVE’EM UP YOUR ARSE. FOR YOUR BOGUS COMPLAINTS AREN’T WITH US BUT WITH YAHUAH”.
THE REBELS HAD WRONGLY CONCLUDED FOR THEIR OWN SELFISH REASONS THAT SINCE THEY WERE ALSO WEARING THE TASSELS, THEY WERE NOW ON AN EQUAL LEVEL WITH THE PRIESTHOOD AND MOSES. SO WHY DID KORAH BECOME SO PRIDEFUL AND SELF-SERVING? ALTHOUGH HE WAS A LEVITE, HIS CLAN (THE CLAN OF KOHATH) WAS NOT ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRIESTS (ONLY AARON’S SONS WERE PRIESTS, ALLOWED TO ENTER THE SET-APART PLACE). KORAH WAS JEALOUS OF THIS FACT, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. REMEMBER THE WHOLE TRIBE OF LEVI HAD BEEN ELECTED AND SEPARATED AWAY FROM THE REST OF YISHARAL AND NOT EVEN CONSIDERED YISHARALITES ANYMORE, SO THEY WOULDN’T EVEN BE GETTING A LAND INHERITANCE. NOW COMBINE THIS WITH THE FACT THAT ONLY AARON’S SONS WERE THE PRIESTHOOD, AND YOU GAIN A GLIMPSE OF HIS COMPLAINT. THEY COULDN’T ENTER THE SET-APART PLACE, NOR COULD THEY INHERIT LAND. THEY WERE KINDA IN-BETWEEN, ASSIGNED WITH THE TASKS OF CARE-TAKING FOR THE TABERNACLE AND FURNISHINGS, ASSISTING THE PRIESTS IN THE GENERAL WEAR AND TEAR, CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE, ASSEMBLING AND TRANSPORTATION, AND ALSO HELPING WITH THE SACRIFICES. THEY WERE ALSO ARMED GUARDS AND MUSICIANS TOO AND IT WAS ACTUALLY AN IMMENSE PRIVILEGE TO BE WORKING THIS CLOSE TO THE ESTEEM OF YAHUSHA. BUT THEY WERE TOO BUSY COMPARING THEMSELVES TO OTHERS AND FEELING INFERIOR INSTEAD OF BEING GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL FOR WHAT THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN, WHICH IS PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF FRUSTRATION, DEPRESSION AND NEGATIVITY IN EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD TODAY.
Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, but they refused, “WE‘RE NOT COMING TO YOU, YOU COME TO US! ISN’T IT ENOUGH THAT YOU BROUGHT US OUT OF EGYPT, A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY, TO KILL US HERE IN THIS WILDERNESS? NOW YOU TREAT US LIKE LITTLE BITCHES!! YOU THINK WE’RE THAT STUPID? THERE’S NO BLOODY LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY. YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN US A NEW HOME WITH FIELDS AND VINEYARDS. YOU’RE A FRAUD! YOU CAN’T PULL THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES MOSES. WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? WE’RE NOT COMING BEFORE YOU!”
BY NOT SHOWING UP, THEY WERE GIVING MOSES THE MIDDLE FINGER AND SENDING A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT THEY REJECTED HIS AUTHORITY AND THAT EVERYBODY ELSE SHOULD REJECT HIS AUTHORITY TOO. KORAH, BEING A LEVITE, NATURALLY WANTED AARON’S JOB, BUT DATHAN AND ABIRAM WANTED MOSES` POSITION OF CHIEF LEADER OF ALL OF YISHARAL. WHY? REMEMBER THEY WERE FROM THE TRIBE OF REUBEN WHO WAS THE NATURAL FIRSTBORN OF YISHARAL, WHICH MEANT UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES HE SHOULD HAVE INHERITED THE AUTHORITY TO RULE OVER HIS FATHER JACOB’S CLANS. BUT REUBEN MADE THE DEPRAVED POWER-PLAY OF SLEEPING WITH HIS FATHER’S SERVANT-WIFE BILHAH, SO HIS FATHER PRETTY MUCH CURSED HIM ON HIS DEATHBED, SPLITTING THE FIRSTBORN BLESSINGS AND AUTHORITY BETWEEN JOSEPH AND JUDAH INSTEAD. SO WE ARE NOW WITNESSING HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF BITTERNESS BOILING OVER IN REUBEN’S DESCENDANTS DATHAN AND ABIRAM, WHO OBVIOUSLY COULDN’T ACCEPT THEIR FATHER’S DIVINE JUDGMENT UPON THEM (THAT THEY WOULD NEVER BE THE ONES TO LEAD YISHARAL). AND JUST LIKE THEIR FORE-FATHER REUBEN, THEY’VE TAKEN MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS NOW, TECHNICALLY `ASSAULTING (BLASPHEMING) YAHUSHA’S SPIRIT’ BY SAYING THAT IT WAS EGYPT AND NOT CANAAN THAT WAS A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY AND THAT THE ONLY REASON MOSES BROUGHT THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT WAS SO HE COULD RULE OVER THEM….UNBELIEVABLE!!
Then Moses `saw red’ with fury and said to YAHUSHA, “SPIT ON THEIR NEXT OFFERING AND DON’T ACCEPT THEM! How can they do this? You know I’ve never hurt a single one of them....never taken so much as a donkey from them”.
Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers had better be here tomorrow and present yourselves to Yahuah. Aaron will also be here. You and each of your 250 felons must burn incense before Yahuah. And don’t worry, Aaron will also bring his incense burner.”
So each of these men prepared an incense burner, lit the fire, and placed incense on it. Then they all stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle with Moses and Aaron. Meanwhile, Korah had revved up the entire community against Moses and Aaron, and they all gathered at the Tabernacle entrance. Then the spectacular presence of YAHUSHA appeared to the whole community, and YAHUSHA said to Moses and Aaron, “QUICKLY! SEPARATE YOURSELVES AND GET AWAY FROM THESE WICKED PESTS SO I CAN DESTROY THEM!”
But Moses and Aaron fell face-down on the ground. “O’ Yahuah,” they pleaded, “You are the Alahim who gives breath to all creatures. Please don’t be angry with all the people, cause it’s only one man who started all this!”
And YAHUSHA said to Moses, “THEN TELL ALL THE PEOPLE TO GET AWAY FROM KORAH, DATHAN AND ABIRAM’S TENTS IF THEY KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR THEM!”
So Moses got up and rushed over to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, followed by the elders of Yisharal. “Quick!” they told the people. “GET AWAY FROM THESE WICKED MEN’S TENTS, AND DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO THEM. CAUSE IF YOU DO, YOU’LL BE DESTROYED FOR THEIR WICKEDNESS.”
So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who came out and stood at the entrances of their tents, together with their wives and children.
Then Moses said, “This is how you’ll know that Yahuah has sent me to do all the things I’ve done and that I’m not just acting of myself. If life goes on all peachy-keen as normal and these men die a natural death, then obviously Yahuah hasn’t sent me. But, if He reigns down terror today and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all their belongings, and they plummet alive to their graves, then you’ll know that these men have shown complete contempt and hatred for Yahuah.”
And Moses had hardly finished speaking when the ground suddenly split open beneath them. The earth literally opened its mouth and swallowed up these men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. So they went down alive into their graves, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Yisharal. And all the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “THE EARTH WILL SWALLOW US, TOO!” they cried. Then fire blazed forth from YAHUSHA and burned up the 250 men who had stood with Korah, who were now arrogantly offering up incense before Him.
And YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Tell Eleazar (Aaron’s son) to pull all the incense burners from the fire, for they are set-apart. Also tell him to scatter the burning coals, take the incense burners of these men who have scorned and disobeyed Me (at the cost of their lives), and hammer the metal into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. Since these burners were used in My presence, they have now become set-apart. So let them be a warning to all the people of Yisharal.”
So Eleazar the priest collected the 250 bronze incense burners that had been used by the men who died in the fire, and the bronze was hammered into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. And this would warn all the Yisharalites that no unauthorised person (one who was not a descendant of Aaron) can ever enter YAHUSHA’S presence to burn incense. If anyone did, the same fate would await them as Korah and his followers. So YAHUSHA’S instructions to Moses were done. But the very next morning the whole community of Yisharal began muttering amongst themselves and `hating on’ Moses and Aaron, saying, “LOOK! NOW YOU’VE KILLED YAHUAH’S PEOPLE!..... WHAT NEXT?”
And as the community gathered around to abuse Moses and Aaron, they suddenly turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the spectacular presence of YAHUSHA appeared.
So Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle and YAHUSHA said to Moses, “This is becoming such a relentless bore! Get away from all these hideous people so I can wipe them of the face of the earth! I’m soooo done with them!”
But Moses and Aaron (once again) fell face down on the ground. And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner, place burning coals and incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with Yahuah, because His anger is blazing against them right now, LOOK! HIS PLAGUE HAS ALREADY STARTED.”
And Aaron did as Moses said, running out among the people, but the plague had already begun to strike down the people. But Aaron burned the incense anyway and kept purifying the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and suddenly the plague stopped, but not before killing 14,700 people (as well as all those who died in Korah’s rebellion). So because the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
WHEN YAHUSHA FIRST GAVE HIS INSTRUCTIONS THROUGH MOSES, IT WAS NOTHING BUT ABSTRACT CONCEPTS TO THEM, A BUNCH OF DO’S AND DON’TS, RITUALS AND FESTIVAL OBSERVANCES, AND A LIST OF CONSEQUENCES AND PUNISHMENTS FOR DISOBEYING, BUT THEY HAD NEVER LEARNED HOW TO PRACTICALLY APPLY THEM TO THEIR DAILY LIVES. THEY WERE STILL LIVING IN THE DESERT AND A GOOD PORTION OF THE INSTRUCTIONS WOULDN’T EVEN BE POSSIBLE TO DO UNTIL THEY ENTERED THE PROMISED LAND.
SO TO THIS ANCIENT MIDDLE EASTERN SOCIETY THAT HAD JUST LEFT EGYPT, A LOT OF THE INSTRUCTIONS THEY RECEIVED ABOUT CLEAN LIVING AND BEHAVIOUR SEEMED DOWNRIGHT STRANGE AND IMPRACTICAL TO THEM. IT WASN’T A REALITY TO THEM AND IF THEY’D NEVER LEFT THE FOOT OF MOUNT SINAI BUT DECIDED TO JUST BLISSFULLY GATHER MANNA EVERY DAY AND DO NOTHING BUT TEND TO THEIR ANIMALS IN PEACE AND QUIET, MOST OF YAHUSHA’S INSTRUCTIONS WOULD HAVE REMAINED MERE HEAD-KNOWLEDGE TO THEM.
TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE MUST BE ACTIVATED AND EXERCISED. THE ONLY WAY YISHARAL WAS GOING TO GROW WAS TO EXPERIENCE LIFE RAW AND UNCENSORED WITH ALL OF ITS TEMPTATIONS AND DIFFICULTIES AND THAT’S WHY THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE TO BATTLE TO TAKE THE PROMISED LAND. IT IS ONLY BY APPLYING YAHUSHA’S PRINCIPLES AND INSTRUCTIONS IN CHALLENGING SITUATIONS THAT HIS BEHAVIOUR AND PATH BECOMES VERY PRACTICAL AND REAL TO US. THROUGH TEMPTING AND ACCUSING US, THE DEVIL WANTS TO DRIVE US BACK TO EGYPT AND HAVE US SWITCH ALLEGIANCES FROM YAHUSHA AND THE THINGS OF HIS REIGN, TO THE DEVIL AND THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. SATAN UNDERSTANDS VERY WELL THAT YAHUSHA HAS GIVEN US ALL A FREEWILL, WHICH WE EXERCISED TO ENTER OUR PATH OF DELIVERANCE AND HE TEMPTS US NOW TO EXERCISE OUR FREEWILL SO WE WILL REJECT IT. IN THE SECRET PLACE IN YOUR HEART THAT NOBODY BUT YOU AND YAHUSHA KNOWS ABOUT, DO YOU SOMETIMES LONG TO RETURN TO THE WAYS OF THE WORLD WITH ALL OF ITS SENSUAL PLEASURES AND TITILLATING DELIGHTS? BE ON GUARD FOR THAT IS PRECISELY THE TYPE OF MINDSET SATAN LOVES TO PREY ON AND MIXING THE WAYS OF THE WORLD WITH THE WAYS OF YAHUSHA ARE JUST AS BAD.
IT’S PRETTY OBVIOUS IN THIS ERA OF SHADOWS THAT MOST PEOPLE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO COME CLOSE TO THE MAGNIFICENT ESTEEM OF YAHUSHA, BUT INSTEAD HAD TO COMMUNICATE AND DRAW-NEAR THROUGH A CHOSEN MEDIATOR (OF YAHUSHA’S CHOOSING). HOW FORTUNATE AND BLESSED ARE WE TO BE GIVEN DIRECT ACCESS TO YAHUSHA TODAY THROUGH THE INNER PORTAL WITHIN??
