Numbers 16-18

What I Noticed Today (Numbers 16-18)

Numbers 16

Just a chapter ago, God restated the laws for unintentional and intentional sin and even had the people sew tassels on their garments to remind themselves to follow God’s laws and remain holy.

As Numbers 16 opens, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against Moses and Aaron and brought 250 chiefs of the congregation with them.

• They claimed everyone in the assembly was holy.
• They accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the assembly.

In verses 4-40, the Lord passes judgment on those who rebelled against Moses and Aaron:

• Moses instructed Korah and his followers to appear the next morning before the Lord with firepans and incense.
• Then the Lord would choose who was to be set apart for leadership.
• The rebels were Levites, given the privilege of serving God at the Tabernacle, but they wanted more. They wanted to be priests as well.
• Moses sent for Abiram and Dathan, but they refused to come. They claimed Moses had taken them from the land of milk and honey (Egypt) to die in the wilderness.

• Moses was angry and asked the Lord not to accept their offering.
• He told Korah and his followers to appear the next day before the Lord, and the Lord would judge between them and Aaron.
• The next day Korah and his followers appeared before the Lord, and the Lord told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from them so He could destroy them all.
• Moses and Aaron fell facedown interceding on behalf of the people.
• Moses warned the people to move away from Korah, Abiram, and Dathan.
• Moses said if these rebels were swallowed up by the earth along with all that belongs to them, they would know that they had despised the Lord.
• The earth opened up and destroyed Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their families.
• Fire came out from the Lord and consumed all 250 men who came out against Moses and Aaron.
• The Lord spoke to Moses, instructing him to have Eleazar son of Aaron remove the firepans from the debris because they were holy. They were then to hammer the firepans into plating for the altar and present them to the Lord.

In verses 41-50, the next day, the Israelite community came forward complaining to Moses and Aaron:

• You would think that would get everyone’s attention, but the very next day, the congregation comes out grumbling against Moses and Aaron again.
• They complained that Moses had killed the Lord’s people the day before.

• The Lord was angry and wanted to destroy the people immediately.
• Moses again humbled himself and interceded with the Lord for the people. He told Aaron to hurry and make atonement for the people because of their sin against the Lord.
• But before Aaron could make atonement for the people, God sent a plague that killed another 14,700 people who had come out against Moses and Aaron.
• As Aaron made atonement for the people, the plague stopped, and Aaron returned to the tabernacle.

Numbers 17

Aaron’s authority as high priest had been challenged in Numbers 16, so in Numbers 17 the Lord provides dramatic confirmation of His choice of Aaron as high priest.

In verses 1-9, the Lord spoke to Moses and instructed him to have one staff be brought from each of the tribes with their tribal name written on the staff. Aaron’s name was to be written on the staff from the tribe of Levi.

• Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tabernacle.
• From these, God will select who He wants to minister to Him.
• The next day Aaron’s staff has not only budded out but produced ripe almonds. God has made it very clear who He has chosen!

In verses 10-13, the Lord instructed Moses to place Aaron’s staff back in front of the ark of testimony as a reminder that the Lord had chosen Aaron, and there were severe consequences for rebelling against God’s chosen.

Numbers 18

Perhaps because of the rebellion related in Numbers 16-17, the Lord restated in Numbers 18 the covenant between He and Aaron and his sons, as well as the covenant between He and the Levites.

In verses 2-7, the Lord describes the roles of the priests and the Levites:

• Aaron and his son are responsible for the priesthood.
• The Levites are responsible for assisting in front of the tabernacle, but they must not come near the sanctuary equipment or the altar.
• The priesthood is a gift from God. Anyone who is not authorized who comes near the sanctuary will be put to death.

In verses 8-11, the Levites were to receive a portion of the offerings in return for their service to the Lord. Anyone who is ceremonially clean in your house may eat it.

In verses 12-19, the Lord also gave the Levite the firstfruit offerings from the harvest, including the olive oil, wine, and grain. The Lord also gave the Levites the firstborn of all the animals, except for the firstborn of the ox, sheep, or goats. The firstborn of the ox, sheep, and goats are holy. Their fat must be offered to the Lord as a pleasing aroma, and the meat belonged to the Levites.

In verses 20-24, The Lord told Aaron the Levites would not have an inheritance of land, but they would receive a tithe from the Israelites in return for their service to the Lord.

In verses 25-32, the Lord spoke to Moses, instructing him to tell the Levites they must pay a tithe of what they received to the Lord:

• The tithe of the Levites was a tenth (tithe) of the tenth (tithe) provided by the Israelites.
• The tithe of the Levites presented to the Lord must be the best of what they receive. It will be credited to them as though they had grown. What remained could be eaten or drunk anywhere the Levites chose.

Some thoughts for additional consideration:

• Leaders today face many of the same issues faced by Moses and Aaron. There will be those who will come up against us, filled with selfish ambition and envy, they will lie and sway others into open rebellion against God. Like Moses, we would be wise to pray for those who come up against us and let God deal with those who rebel against Him.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Numbers 19-20