Something Evil This Way Comes
Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord 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 shall know that these men have despised the Lord” (Numbers 16:28-30).
Korah and his cohorts verbally assaulted Moses and Aaron publicly. Moses responds with a literal line in the sand. He commands Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and the 250 chiefs of the congregation to stand before God the next morning and burn incense:
And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.” So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation (Numbers 16:16-19).
Something horrible was about to happen:
And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment” (Numbers 16:21).
But don’t miss God’s mercy shining throughout this devastating story. Moses and Aaron plead for mercy for those who didn’t start this unrest but were caught up in the mob mentality:
And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” (Numbers 16:22).
The Lord then instructs Moses and Aaron to warn the rest of the congregation to step away from Korah and the rebellious mob:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.” Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” So they got away from the dwelling 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 16:23-27).
Remember, though Korah and his cohorts assaulted Moses and Aaron, Moses told them their argument was not with them but with God. Something terrible is about to happen, and Moses makes it clear, that he is not responsible for the consequences of their rebellion:
And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord 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 shall know that these men have despised the Lord” (Numbers 16:28-30).
And then the ground opened up, and horror reigned:
And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense (Numbers 16:31-35).
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
We can only imagine the terror of the survivors but also their gratitude for God’s mercy. The Lord made it clear He will not tolerate rebellion against Him. At first reading, we could conclude the line of Korah’s family ended in that horrific moment, but how can that be when we see them leading worship? We find our answer in Numbers 26, a record of the census of the new generation of Israelites:
The sons of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning. But the sons of Korah did not die (Numbers 26:9-11).
Maybe they were spared because they were little and did not understand their father’s rebellion. Perhaps a neighbor or friend carried them away from their father’s house just before the earth opened up. Or maybe they were old enough to recognize their father’s rebellion against God, and they wanted no part of it. Whatever the human reason, God’s good plan for His people included a precious legacy of service for the line of Korah. Not only would they one day lead His people in worship but out of Korah’s sons, the prophet Samuel was born after seven generations.
These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of the Lord after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they performed their service according to their order. These are the men who served and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, son of Samuel, son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel… (1 Chronicles 31-38).
Tomorrow we will unpack some of the privileges God gave the Sons of Korah, but for today, soak in the grace their story tells. The sins of their father did not shape their identity. Instead, God’s amazing grace transformed them. Your identity is not shaped by the sins of your parents or even your own sin. If you love Jesus and have experienced the forgiveness of sins only He can give, you are a daughter or son of the King. Like the Sons of Korah, you, too, can experience grace upon grace.
PRAYER
Oh Lord, may we recognize Your love, even in discipline. Thank you for Your grace.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Monday, 13 June 2022.
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