Scripture Alone: God’s Faithful Word
Scripture Alone • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 44:28
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· 14 viewsRebellion against God’s Word out of jealousy, frustration, or grumbling, always leads to death; but faith in His promises brings life and blessing.
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3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,
5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.
6 Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company;
7 put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”
Rebellion against God’s Word out of jealousy, frustration, or grumbling, always leads to death; but faith in His promises brings life and blessing.
Rebellion against God’s Word out of jealousy, frustration, or grumbling, always leads to death; but faith in His promises brings life and blessing.
We now skip across the pond of Israel’s history.
God cut the covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai.
The people agreed to the covenant.
They fell woefully short of covenant-keepers.
Exodus ends with Israel outside of the tabernacle.
Unable to enter because of God’s glory.
35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Leviticus answers:
How does SINFUL man dwell with a HOLY God?
It is only through the shedding of blood that man can enter God’s presence.
Many rules that govern HOW the people of God can come near to HIM.
What He demands for worship.
What He requires for humanity to come near to Him.
This continues in Israel’s story all the way into the wilderness.
The book of Numbers is better known by it’s Hebrew name, “In the Wilderness.”
In Numbers, the people of Israel are wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.
Rebellion in the face of God’s plain WORD.
Yahweh has clearly spoken and the people flat rebel.
Moses wrote this book for the NEW generation as a warning.
The NEW generation that will inherit the promised land.
The first generation died because of their unbelief.
Some people are forgetful.
Some people are so forgetful even, they will tie a string around their finger.
The string is a reminder to…
Get milk from the store
Call their friend.
But Yahweh knows that His people are also forgetful.
Not just slip your mind forgetful.
But willfully forgetful to what He has said.
Which is why He commands them to remember by making “blue tassels” that they may…
Numbers 15:39 (ESV)
…remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.
The blue tassels will remind them what God has already said.
They will remind them who Yahweh is before them. (Numbers 15:40-41).
But something is about to happen in Numbers 16 that will go down as a real low point for the people of Israel.
It will serve as an example for generations and us as well to heed the voice of Yahweh.
There are two groups of people that we will see oppose Moses here.
The first is a group of Levites.
Numbers 16:1 (ESV)
1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi…
Rebellion in Jealousy – (Korah’s Rebellion)
Rebellion in Jealousy – (Korah’s Rebellion)
A Levite was a select group from among the people of Israel.
The Levites were to serve Yahweh in His tabernacle.
The Levites were set apart to protect the meeting place of God.
The Levites were apart of the priestly ORDER, but they were different.
The Levites serve as representatives of all the “firstborn among the people of Israel” (Num 8:19) that Yahweh redeemed out of Egypt.
They guarded the tent of meeting from unholy or unclean things to protect the people of Israel from plagues (Num 8:19).
2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.
Keep in mind these Levites were meant to protect the people of Israel.
They protect, by keeping the people of Israel OUT of the presence of God.
Desire for religious equality
Desire for religious equality
3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
1. They first believe that Moses has gone too far in his authority.
“We don’t need your authority over us, Moses!”
“You’ve gone beyond your authority that God has given you!”
“[Korah may have] felt robbed of…priestly duties since Korah was a cousin to Aaron…” — Michael MoralesThe NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible (Chapter 16)
They want to offer incense like the priests do.
They want priestly representatives.
The Kohathites (Levites) contend that Israel is “holy” already and Yahweh is among them.
Maybe Korah was jealous because Aaron was his cousin.
“If my cousin Aaron is able to do this, then so should I!”
“I deserve to do the same as my own family!”
If you have worked in churches for any length of time, you know that the issue is never the issue.
There are always undergirding issues.
If someone has an issue over the color of the carpet, it never has anything to do with the carpet.
2. They secondly believe that they themselves are already HOLY.
Now keep in mind that Yahweh did say Israel would be holy before Him (Exodus 19:6).
He also promised to dwell in the midst of them (Exodus 29:45).
But what they are doing is TWISTING Yahweh’s Words.
They are twisting Yahweh’s Words.
Yet these rebels think that the people are already holy.
Moses’ humility before the Lord.
Moses’ humility before the Lord.
4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,
5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.
They were meant to protect the people of Israel from the tabernacle.
But here the Levites actively try to approach Yahweh in a way they desire.
They jealously want the priesthood.
They despise the distinctions God has placed upon them.
Applications for Ministry within Our Church
We must repudiate jealousy among the giftings to our church.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
This is especially true of people we look up to in the ministry.
“I wish I could sing like them!”
“I wish I could preach like this person!”
When we do this we diminish the gifting that God has already given us.
Notice what Moses says...
“If you want to know why God made a distinction, test it!”
6 Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company;
7 put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”
Moses leaves it in the hands of Yahweh.
God has given you a unique status.
But it’s not enough.
You need more.
Numbers 16:1 (ESV)
…Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
Rebellion in Frustration – (Dathan & Abiram’s Rebellion)
Rebellion in Frustration – (Dathan & Abiram’s Rebellion)
Numbers 16:1 (ESV)
…Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
The second group that opposed Moses was from the tribe of Reuben.
“…Reuben may have originally carried out the family’s religious duties, as was the custom for firstborn sons in the ancient Near East.” —Michael Morales
Reuben was the first-born from the tribe of Israel.
Reuben was the firstborn that Jacob had denounced and removed his firstborn status.
But it is from this group that Reuben’s descendents.
Unmet expectations of God’s promises.
Unmet expectations of God’s promises.
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up.
Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab should defend the tabernacle.
They should protect it.
But they repeat what Korah said…
13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?
14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”
They want to already be in the land that God promised.
They’re disappointed that things aren’t the way they had expected them to be.
They’re disappointed that the leaders have failed them in some way.
Moses has NOT delivered on what he has promised.
Dathan and Abiram were essentially saying,
“We haven’t received the promises from God like we wanted them, so it’s your fault Moses!”
“We don’t see any milk and honey out in this wilderness, so it’s on you Moses!”
They’re saying,
“We’re not blind to what is happening all around us!”
“We see what is happening here and you’re not really God’s representative to us!”
They refuse to even meet with Moses and Aaron.
Dathan and Abiram here are disappointed at the leaders of Israel.
Notice also what is completely lacking in Dathan and Abiram’s complaint.
They make no reference to Yahweh.
It is as if they have completely forgotten the ONE who made the promises.
Yahweh is the ONE who will fulfill the promises.
Their expectation completely depend upon men.
All Division in Local Churches Begins Here.
It begins by unmet expectations of one another.
9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,
10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
15 And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”
Moses has done nothing wrong.
“I haven’t taken anything from them!”
“I haven’t harmed them in any way!”
“I have been patient with them!”
But they still reject him.
Who are they really rejecting?
They’re upset with Yahweh.
The promises haven’t been completed like they thought they would be.
They take their frustrations out on Moses.
16 And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.
17 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.”
18 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.
Heres the showdown.
Korah and all of his men.
And Moses and Aaron.
All standing before Yahweh for Yahweh to decide.
Notre Dame vs. Alabama (2012 National Championship)
Moses and Aaron standing on the promises of Yahweh’s Word.
Korah and all his men standing upon Korah’s twisted understanding of Yahweh’s promise.
19 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.
Yahweh responds with judgment upon transgressors.
Yahweh responds with judgment upon transgressors.
When Yahweh’s glory comes near to sinners and rebels.
Yahweh’s response is,
“Look out! I’m going to take them out!”
21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
But again we see Moses as the people’s intercessor say…
22 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?”
This people hate Moses.
They despise Moses.
And here is Moses calling out to Yahweh on their behalf again.
23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
24 “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
So Moses quickly asked everyone who wanted to live to get away from Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
“If you want to live, then leave these men alone right NOW!”
“Get away from them!”
Moses and the Better Mediator before God.
Moses and the Better Mediator before God.
Moses warned the people.
Yahweh would choose His representative.
The people rebelled by rejecting God’s Word to them.
They rejected it because they rejected God’s mediator.
Mt. Sinai shows us the great chasm between God and man.
Israel needs a better mediator.
A mediator authorized by God.
31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.
32 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.
33 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.
34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.
What do we do with Yahweh’s swallowing up of these rebels?
God cannot and will not overlook sin.
Sin deserves punishment.
Sin deserves death.
Humanity is not holy in and of themselves.
These Israelites were mistaken to think they were HOLY apart from Yahweh.
It was only because they were in fellowship with Yahweh that they were holy.
If you sit and think to yourself,
“Good thing I’m not like this rebellious generation?”
You DON’T understand it.
“I’m glad I don’t have the same problems of these rebels!”
You DON’T understand it.
Unbeliever
This is what happens every time someone decides to reject the Lord Jesus.
They are rejecting God’s only answer for how we come to HIM.
But there was still a sad fate for all those who sided themselves with Korah and the rebels.
This is what happens to covenant breakers.
Covenant breakers deserve covenant curses.
Covenant breakers deserve destruction.
But it’s at this point that we also see the beauty.
Moses points beyond Himself.
He points forward to the greater MEDIATOR.
The Mediator that will bear the covenant curses to bring forth covenant blessings.
When we see the story of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; we must see our own story.
There we stand with the rebels and enemies of God.
But instead of us being consumed by the wrath of God come against human sin.
Jesus Himself bore God’s wrath for sin in our place.
Jesus Himself takes the place of rebels like Korah.
Galatians 4:4–5 (ESV)
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Because Jesus Himself stands in the place of these rebel sinners, we can have freedom.
Jesus shared our destiny by unrighteously suffering under the judgment of God.
He took our place as a perfect mediator.
He took my judgment and death, and transferred to me His righteousness.
The Warning of False Teachers within the Church
11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;
13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
Teaching people to rely upon theirself to
How do the people respond to this?
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.”
Rebellion in Grumbling – (The People’s Response)
Rebellion in Grumbling – (The People’s Response)
Why is grumbling such a serious sin?
Man’s chief end is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.
“When God’s people grumble, they miss out on their chief end in life: as long as they are grumbling, they are neither glorifying God nor enjoying him. In addition, grumbling believers give non-Christians little reason to want to join them.
When we grumble against the order that God has set in place, we are robbing God of the praise and glory that is his due, holding our hearts closed against him, and distracting others from seeing his greatness.” —Ian Duguid
Blaming Moses and Aaron for their deaths.
Blaming Moses and Aaron for their deaths.
Instead of seeing Korah and all those opposed to Yahweh as the problem.
The people see the transgressors as the hero’s.
They see Moses and Aaron as the problem.
Misunderstanding the Story.
Think about how messed up it is when people watch a movie and there is a clear bad guy and good guy.
And they side with the bad guy.
It’s like watching the Avengers and missing the story altogether and siding with Thanos.
Siding with Yahweh’s enemies is opposing Yahweh.
Yahweh again says,
“Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” (Num 16:45)
Even still, how will Moses and Aaron response?
Numbers 16:45–47 (ESV)
And they fell on their faces.
46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.”
47 So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
Aaron atones for the sins of the people.
Aaron atones for the sins of the people.
46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.”
Atonement is simply the covering of sin to appease wrath.
Aaron’s censors are filled as the rightful priest before Yahweh.
Aaron and the Chosen Priest of God.
Aaron and the Chosen Priest of God.
48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
Aaron stands between the dead and the living.
Aaron stands “between the eternal Judge and souls under condemnation” (Matthew Henry)
It is only Aaron’s atonement that appeases God’s wrath from consuming the whole camp.
It is only through God’s authorized priest that anyone is able to make sacrifices before the Lord.
What hope do any of these rebels have?
Grumbling rebels.
Rumbling frustrations.
Bitter jealousy.
The only hope these types of rebels have is a better covering.
1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.
Hebrews 9:9–10 (ESV)
According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper,
10 but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Rebellion against God’s Word out of jealousy, frustration, or grumbling, always leads to death; but faith in His promises brings life and blessing.
Rebellion against God’s Word out of jealousy, frustration, or grumbling, always leads to death; but faith in His promises brings life and blessing.
