Great Rebellion
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destruction of the men who had deceived them; but they still stood
forth boldly and defiantly, and accused Moses and Aaron of killing
good and holy men. “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
Moses did not feel the guilt of sin and did not hasten away at
the word of the Lord and leave the congregation to perish, as the
Hebrews had fled from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram the
day before. Moses lingered; for he could not consent to give up all
that vast multitude to perish, although he knew that they deserved the
vengeance of God for their persistent rebellion. He prostrated himself
before God because the people felt no necessity for humiliation; he
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mediated for them because they felt no need of interceding in their
own behalf.
Moses here typifies Christ. At this critical time Moses manifested
the True Shepherd’s interest for the flock of His care. He pleaded that
the wrath of an offended God might not utterly destroy the people of
His choice. And by his intercession he held back the arm of vengeance,
that a full end was not made of disobedient, rebellious Israel. He
directed Aaron what course to pursue in that terrible crisis when the
wrath of God had gone forth and the plague had begun. Aaron stood
with his censer, waving it before the Lord, while the intercessions
of Moses ascended with the smoke of the incense. Moses dared not
cease his entreaties. He took hold of the strength of the Angel, as
did Jacob in his wrestling, and like Jacob he prevailed. Aaron was
standing between the living and the dead when the gracious answer
came: I have heard thy prayer, I will not consume utterly. The very
men whom the congregation despised and would have put to death
were the ones to plead in their behalf that the avenging sword of God
might be sheathed and sinful Israel spared.
Despisers of Reproof
The apostle Paul plainly states that the experience of the Israelites
in their travels has been recorded for the benefit of those living in this
age of the world, those upon whom the ends of the world are come. We
do not consider that our dangers are any less than those of the Hebrews,
but greater. There will be temptations to jealousies and murmurings,
and there will be outspoken rebellion, as are recorded of ancient Israel.