Rebellion of Korah
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Singling out Korah and his fellow Levites, Moses said, “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?”
Dathan and Abiram had not taken so bold a stand as had Korah;
and Moses, hoping that they might have been drawn into the con-
spiracy without having become wholly corrupted, summoned them
to appear before him, that he might hear their charges against him.
But they would not come, and they insolently refused to acknowledge
his authority. Their reply, uttered in the hearing of the congregation,
was, “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? 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.”
Thus they applied to the scene of their bondage the very language
in which the Lord had described the promised inheritance. They
accused Moses of pretending to act under divine guidance, as a means
of establishing his authority; and they declared that they would no
longer submit to be led about like blind men, now toward Canaan, and
now toward the wilderness, as best suited his ambitious designs. Thus
he who had been as a tender father, a patient shepherd, was represented
in the blackest character of a tyrant and usurper. The exclusion from
Canaan, in punishment of their own sins, was charged upon him.
It was evident that the sympathies of the people were with the
disaffected party; but Moses made no effort at self-vindication. He
solemnly appealed to God, in the presence of the congregation, as a
witness to the purity of his motives and the uprightness of his conduct,
and implored Him to be his judge.
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On the morrow, the two hundred and fifty princes, with Korah
at their head, presented themselves, with their censers. They were
brought into the court of the tabernacle, while the people gathered