Great Rebellion
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for the glory in the countenances of the saints will pain them. But all
this glory upon Moses, all this divine stamp seen upon God’s humble
servant, is forgotten.
Slighted Mercy
The Hebrews had an opportunity to reflect upon the scene that
they had witnessed in the visitation of God’s wrath upon the most
prominent ones in this great rebellion. The goodness and mercy of God
were displayed in not completely exterminating this ungrateful people
when His wrath was kindled against the most responsible ones. He
gave the congregation who had permitted themselves to be deceived,
space for repentance. The fact that the Lord, their invisible Leader,
showed so much long-suffering and mercy in this instance is distinctly
recorded as evidence of His willingness to forgive the most grievous
offenders when they have a sense of their sin and return unto Him
with repentance and humiliation. The congregation had been arrested
in their presumptuous course by the display of the Lord’s vengeance;
but they were not convinced that they were great sinners against Him,
deserving His wrath for their rebellious course.
It is hardly possible for men to offer a greater insult to God than to
despise and reject the instrumentalities that He has appointed to lead
them. They had not only done this, but had purposed to put both Moses
and Aaron to death. These men fled from the tents of Korah, Dathan,
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and Abiram through fear of destruction; but their rebellion was not
cured. They were not in grief and despair because of their guilt. They
felt not the effect of an awakened, convicted conscience because they
had abused their most precious privileges and sinned against light and
knowledge. We may here learn precious lessons of the long-suffering
of Jesus, the Angel who went before the Hebrews in the wilderness.
Their invisible Leader would save them from a disgraceful destruc-
tion. Forgiveness lingers for them. It is possible for them to find pardon
if they will even now repent. The vengeance of God has now come
near to them and appealed to them to repent. A special, irresistible
interference from heaven has arrested their presumptuous rebellion. If
they now respond to the interposition of God’s providence they may
be saved. But the repentance and humiliation of the congregation must
be proportionate to their transgression. The revelation of the signal