[Pastor William Nathaniel Sampson]

This is a long one. I apologize about the length of this, but it's one hell of a smiting!

Numbers 16 Approximately 15,000 Israelites dead by the hand of the LORD for opposing Moses.

Rebellion is in the air. The children of Israel aren't happy with Moses leadership. Korah, Levi's great grandson of the Levite tribe. Dathan, Abiram and On of the Reubenite tribe have grown insolent and they have taken 250 well-known men who had been appointed members of the council with them. Their complaint revolves around the fact that Moses and Aaron have set themselves above everyone else, when they believe themselves to be just as holy.


Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

Moses upon hearing this proposes a wager of sorts.

5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him.

Basically, they are going to burn incense and wait for a sign.

7And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi (This time you've gone too far by opposing me and my brother.)

It's not enough that the Levites get to be the priest class and work directly in the tabernacle, but they have the nerve to grumble about Aaron. (verses 9-11)

Moses calls out Dathan and Abiram to tell them of the wager. They flatly refuse telling him more or less, that it's not bad enough that this land doesn't flow with milk and honey like you promised and you have set yourself up as our king, but now you plan on gouging out the opposition's eyeballs if they show up. (verses 12-14.)

Well, that was the wrong thing to say to Moses because he and God are BFF's. Moses tells God..

15Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

To Korah and the 250 respected men of the council Moses tells them to be ready in the morning with their vessel full of incense ready to burn. It's on now!

19And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
20And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
21Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
22And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

God reconsiders, as He so often does for Moses. He tells Moses to warn the people to get away from the encampment of Dathan, and Abiram. IT's smiting time!

26And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
27So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
28And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
29If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.

Another wager. Moses never loses with God on his side!

30But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.

The earth opens up and swallows men, women and children for upsetting the LORD

31And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:
32And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
33They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

The children of Israel are afraid as they should be.

34And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

And that wasn't enough. Remember the 250 men of respect who were burning incense? God deals with them too.

That fire in the sky

35And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

The followup smiting

You would think that the earth opening up a swallowing some of the dissidents and a fire from the sky consuming the others would be good enough to shut the rest of them up. Not quite.

41But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

Uh oh. Now God is super pissed and he ain't gonna listen to Moses this time.

45Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment.

Moses and Aaron have to work quickly to calm God down. (Too late)

46And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer (a vessel for burning incense), and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
47And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
48And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

Aaron was able to contain the plague, but not before it consumed 14,700.

49Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

The moral of the story, God is going to seriously mess you up if you don't listen to Him.