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Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
people, who were equally favored with God’s peculiar presence and
protection.
Character Tested
As Moses listened to the words of Korah, he was filled with anguish
and fell upon his face before the people. “And he spake unto Korah
and unto all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the Lord will show
who are His, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto
Him: even him whom He hath chosen will He cause to come near
unto Him. This do; take you censers, Korah, and all his company; and
put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow:
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. And Moses said
unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: seemeth it but a small
thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the
congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself to do the service
of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to
minister unto them? And He hath brought thee near to Him, and all
thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood
also? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered
together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against
him?” Moses told them that Aaron had assumed no office of himself,
that God had placed him in the sacred office.
Dathan and Abiram said: “Is it a small thing that thou hast brought
us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in
the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?
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Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk
and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou
put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.”
They accused Moses of being the cause of their not entering the
Promised Land. They said that God had not dealt with them thus, and
that He had not said that they should die in the wilderness, and they
would never believe that He had said so; it was Moses who had said
this, not the Lord; and it was all arranged by Moses never to bring
them to the land of Canaan. They spoke of his leading them from a
land that flowed with milk and honey. In their blind rebellion they
forgot their sufferings in Egypt and the desolating plagues brought