Great Rebellion
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A Lesson for Our Time
In the case of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram we have a lesson of
warning lest we follow their example. “Neither let us tempt Christ, as
some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither
murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of
the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:
and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the
world are come.”
We have evidence in God’s word of the liability of His people to
be greatly deceived. There are many instances where what may seem
to be a sincere zeal for the honor of God has its origin in leaving the
soul unguarded for the enemy to tempt and to impress the mind with
a perverted sense of the real state of things. And we may expect just
such things in these last days, for Satan is just as busy now as he was
in the congregation of Israel. The cruelty and strength of prejudice
are not understood. After the congregation had the evidence before
their sight of the destruction of these leaders in rebellion, the power
of suspicion and distrust which had been let into their souls was not
removed. They saw the ground open and the leaders of rebellion go
down into the bowels of the earth. This fearful exhibition surely ought
to have cured them and led them to the deepest repentance for their
abuse of Moses.
Here God gave all Israel an opportunity to see and to feel the sin-
fulness of their course, which should have led them to repentance and
confession. He gave the deceived ones overwhelming evidence that
they were sinners and that His servant Moses was right. They had an
opportunity to pass one night in reflection upon the fearful visitation
of Heaven which they had witnessed. But reason was perverted. Korah
had instigated the rebellion, and two hundred and fifty princes had
joined him in spreading the disaffection. All the congregation were,
to a greater or less degree, affected with the prevailing jealousy, sur-
misings, and hatred against Moses, which had brought the displeasure
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of God in a fearfully marked manner. Yet our gracious God shows
Himself a God of justice and mercy. He made a distinction between
the instigators—the leaders in the rebellion—and those who had been
deceived or led by them. He pitied the ignorance and folly of those
who had been deceived.