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Korach

Korah
“Falling on Faces”

Numbers 16:1-18:32
1 Samuel 11:14-12:22

excerpted from TorahScope, Volume I

When most people think of our Torah portion for this week, the title Korach naturally reminds them of the insurrection which Korah initiated when he challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Unsatisfied with their delegated responsibilities, Korah and some two hundred and fifty leaders in the congregation asked Moses and Aaron why they “exalted,” or lifted themselves up, above the rest of the assembly. This accusation came without any known warning. The question in Moses’ mind was so astounding, that his initial reaction was to simply fall on his face before the Lord:

“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took some men. They rose up before Moses, with some of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, ‘You take too much on yourself, since all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and the LORD is among them! Why do you lift yourselves up above the LORD’s assembly?’ When Moses heard it, he fell on his face” (Numbers 16:1-4, WMB).

This dramatic response to Korah’s indictment became quite serious, because God severely judged Korah and his followers.[1] The Lord used the events to establish the position of Aaron and the Levites as servants and intermediaries of Israel before Him.[2]

While reading through our parashah, I took special notice of how the act of falling on one’s face and pleading for understanding or mercy—occurred an additional two times. The next time we witness this act of contrition and intercession, was when God communicated the judgment He was ready to deliver upon the congregation of Israel, for the people who either followed after Korah or considered his complaints:

“The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!’ They fell on their faces, and said, ‘God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?’” (Numbers 16:20-22, WMB).

Just before, Korah and his cohorts, Dathan and Abiram, had leveled a series of serious charges against Moses (Numbers 16:12-14). Korah was a Levite[3] and he was not satisfied with his position of service in the Tabernacle. He wanted to have a similar position to Aaron’s, if not replace him. Dathan and Abiram, who were Reubenites,[4] had a different motive. As descendants of the firstborn of Jacob, they must have thought that they deserved to be the leaders of Israel. They looked back at the recent failure to enter into the Promised Land, and blamed Moses for Israel’s defeat by the Amalekites and the Canaanites (Numbers 14:39-45). Even though Moses had warned the Israelites that they had missed their opportunity to occupy the Promised Land, the blame was directed to Moses from these ungrateful rebels (Numbers 15:41-45). As the accusations came forth, Moses was angered and he made a request to the Lord:

“Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, ‘Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them’” (Numbers 16:15, WMB).

Moses knew about his special relationship with God. He could recall all of the encounters with the Holy One back to the burning bush experience. But as you should remember, Moses was somewhat of a reluctant leader. He questioned his ability to articulate the words of the Lord, and was subsequently told to bring his brother Aaron onto the leadership team in order to effectively communicate to Pharaoh and the Israelites (Exodus 4:14-15). Yet these accusations were too much to bear. Moses was grieved with his accusers, and so he offered a challenge to the two hundred and fifty insurrectionists to take up a fire pan with incense and bring it before the Holy One (Numbers 16:6-7).

As the glory of God descended upon the Tent of Meeting, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that He was going to pour out His wrath upon the congregation. It was at this word that the two of them fell on their faces and pleaded for mercy for those gathered. At their request, the Lord gave them a way to separate out the rebellious from the somewhat innocent:

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the congregation, saying, “Get away from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram!”’ Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. He spoke to the congregation, saying, ‘Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins!’” (Numbers 16:23-26, WMB).

By falling on their faces and pleading for mercy, Moses and Aaron received a temporary solution to keep the innocent from being swallowed up in the dramatic judgment which was shortly to follow. The ground opened up and swallowed those who were allied with Korah. It was followed by fire coming forth and consuming the two hundred and fifty who had offered up the incense:

“As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all of Korah’s men, and all their goods. So they, and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol. The earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. All Israel that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, ‘Lest the earth swallow us up!’ Fire came out from the LORD, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense” (Numbers 16:31-35, WMB).

Suffice it to say, Moses and Aaron were totally vindicated by these dramatic examples of God executing His judgment. But the exercise of falling on their faces was not complete. The very next day, the congregation of Israel decided to blame Moses and Aaron for the judgment meted out to Korah and his rebellious cohort:

“But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the LORD’s people!’ When the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they looked toward the Tent of Meeting. Behold, the cloud covered it, and the LORD’s glory appeared” (Numbers 16:41-42, WMB).

This was not a good thing for the Israelites to be doing. Moses and Aaron definitely had the Lord on their side in the struggle for leadership, and He again communicated to them that additional judgment would be coming. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before Him to intercede. Knowing that a plague would be spreading through the camp, Moses instructed Aaron to quickly take his censer with fire from the altar with incense, and appeal to God for mercy:

“Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of Meeting. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!’ They fell on their faces. Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take your censer, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD! The plague has begun’” (Numbers 16:43-46, WMB).

The intercession worked, but not until after many Israelites had died because of the plague:

“He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, in addition to those who died about the matter of Korah. Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague was stopped” (Numbers 16:48-50, WMB).

Korah’s rebellion was checked, but not without a significant loss of life. Not only did Israel lose two hundred and fifty leaders from the tribes of Levi and Reuben, but apparently, the insurrection also affected many more. These were serious consequences for the people of Israel.

The Falling on Face Alternative

As I reflected upon these dramatic events, a number of thoughts came to mind. If you can place yourself back in time as a witness to these judgments, you should understand that there were very serious messages being communicated to Israel. Since this was taking place just a short while after the incidents concerning the twelve spies, and the subsequent aborted attempt to occupy Canaan without the protection of God (seen last week in Shelakh-Lekha), we see that there was a concerted attempt to challenge the leadership of Moses. When you contemplate watching the ground open up and swallowing Korah and his household and companions, this might conjure up images of a Hollywood production. Then, when you enhance this judgment with fire coming forth from the Most High to consume the two hundred and fifty who had been challenged to offer up incense—you can probably imagine special effects teams competing for an academy award.

Men and women of faith consider the scenes of Korach to be far more than just the fictional writings of some creative movie producer. We believe that these were real life episodes in the history of Ancient Israel. If you had been there as a witness, these images would have never left your memory. On top of seeing Korah and his associates swallowed up and burned alive, imagine the rapidity of a plague moving through the camp—the next day—with the loss of thousands of people! It is obvious that God was sending a very strong signal to Korah’s contemporaries—and to generations yet to come—that a rebellious spirit against His chosen servants was not something one should have.

As I thought about all this, I was quick to be reminded of the humble character of Moses and how he displayed it during this defiant attempt to usurp his authority. Three times during the course of these trials, Moses fell on his face before the Holy One for understanding and for intercessory pleadings for his fellow Israelites. To me, this was a great example of how Believers should react to crises which inevitably come our way.

I then reflected upon the last time I went down on my face with intercessory, merciful prayers for my loved ones, friends, and acquaintances who are perishing. I was convicted that it had been far too long since the last time I had cried out for mercy for those who still, to this day, do not have a relationship with the Messiah Yeshua. In many respects, this is a chronic crisis because none of us knows when our loved ones’ days on Earth are going to end. This is even more reason to take the time to fall on the face and implore God for mercy!

I have to often ask myself when the last time it was when I fell on my face and pleaded with the Lord, for understanding and wisdom for situations beyond my ability to fully comprehend. It is usually not that often when I assume a prostrated position. And yet, Moses’ example—and many others throughout the Scriptures—are given to us as instructions to implement for our own walk with the Messiah.

How about you? When was the last time you humbled yourself and followed Moses’ example of falling on your face—either seeking God for mercy for your loved ones, or for wisdom on how to handle various challenges? Is it possible that the Father will honor our humble, prostrated requests for compassion for the lost, and give us answers to predicaments which perplex us? In Korach, when Moses pleaded for mercy and wisdom, the Lord reacted favorably and gave him warnings about how to prevent any further loss of life. Perhaps there is something about falling on your face and admitting that you are totally dependent upon Him? Perhaps in His mercy, lost loved ones will be saved, and solutions to life’s challenges will usher forth? It worked for Moses and Aaron. Could it possibly have the same results for us?