When Moses ordered Korah and the men who sided with him to show up at the courtyard gate, two rebels were conspicuously absent.
Can you guess who?
That’s right, I’m talking about Datan and Aviram.
By not showing up, they were giving Moses the middle finger and sending a clear message they rejected his authority and that everybody else should reject his authority.
Well, Moses being the humble man he was rose up with the elders of Israel and made his way to the southern side of the Tabernacle encampment where Datan and Aviram were staying.
Keep in mind that the Tribe of Reuben (Datan and Aviram’s Tribe) and the Tribe of Levi were in close proximity to each other.
They were tribes from the same neighborhood so to speak.
When Moses arrived at the tents of Datan and Aviram, the two contentious rascals came out ready for a heated confrontation.
At that instant, Moses pronounced the following judgement on them:
“Here is how you will know that Adonai has sent me to do all these things and that I haven’t done them out of my own ambition: if these men die a natural death like other people, only sharing the fate common to all humanity, then Adonai has not sent me. But if Adonai does something new — if the ground opens up and swallows them with everything they own, and they go down alive to Sh’ol — then you will understand that these men have had contempt for Adonai.”
There’s something really important I want you to catch here.
Understand that God did not order Moses to say these specific words of judgement he pronounced on the rebels.
He was acting on his own accord.
Moses was laying down an ultimatum saying that if something horrifically amazing doesn’t happen to these men, then the rebels are right and Moses and Aaron’s leadership should be rejected.
Well, we all know what happened next.
The very ground the rebels were standing under began quaking, split open and swallowed the men up whole.
It was NOT just the men who were killed.
Women and children also perished.
But wait, it wasn’t just the rebellious people who were done away with.
All of their belongings, their tents and all their physical possessions were also swallowed up.
It was as if God didn’t want one trace of these wicked rebels to ever be seen again on the face of this earth.
Now let’s get back to my point when I said that Moses was acting on his own accord when he pronounced this specific judgement on these men.
Can you see the miraculous working power that HASHEM gives to His chosen mediators?
With his God-given authority, Moses pronounced a judgement and then what happened next was a miracle as great as the many works Messiah performed when he walked this earth.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
Then Yeshua came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to me.”
-Matthew 28:18
Yeshua answered them,
“I have already told you,
and you don’t trust me.
The works I do in my Father’s name
testify on my behalf,
but the reason you don’t trust
is that you are not included
among my sheep.
-John 10:25-26
I worry sometimes because I cannot trust authority passively because of abuse I experienced and have often had leaders with wrong motives and even have gossiped and slandered rather than been honest , even about sin. They have been rejecting and backstabbing instead of honest but forgiving. I wonder if it is because they know I would repent and they wanted to hold on to unforgiveness. Other leaders are too willing to be people pleasing. My current pastor is more humble and actually used the words ” I am sorry”. I am very grateful for humility instead of judgement and pride. On the other hand, I have been a bit afraid of God because I sinned when Satan was deceiving me and for a time I listened. I feel like I had a moment when I prophesied falsely because I did not state exactly what I believe God said. Moses was not able to see the promised Land and I worry about heaven being compared to the promised Land and God not letting me go to the promised Land. I try to repent and also am trying to forgive. I am not gifted in forgiveness but know I must to be right before God. I want to be allowed in heaven and do not believe in only the fire insurance idea of my youth. There are very serious scriptures about greed we seem to white wash like tombs in church too often.
As long as you are still alive, it is never too late. Remember the story of the Prodigal Son.