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Texts -- Numbers 16:1-13 (NET)

Context
The Rebellion of Korah
16:1 Now Korah son of Izhar , the son of Kohath , the son of Levi , and Dathan and Abiram , the sons of Eliab , and On son of Peleth , who were Reubenites , took men 16:2 and rebelled against Moses , along with some of the Israelites , 250 leaders of the community , chosen from the assembly , famous men . 16:3 And they assembled against Moses and Aaron , saying to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, seeing that the whole community is holy , every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the community of the Lord ?” 16:4 When Moses heard it he fell down with his face to the ground. 16:5 Then he said to Korah and to all his company , “In the morning the Lord will make known who are his, and who is holy . He will cause that person to approach him; the person he has chosen he will cause to approach him. 16:6 Do this , Korah , you and all your company : Take censers , 16:7 put fire in them , and set incense on them before the Lord tomorrow , and the man whom the Lord chooses will be holy . You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi !” 16:8 Moses said to Korah , “Listen now , you sons of Levi ! 16:9 Does it seem too small a thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the community of Israel to bring you near to himself, to perform the service of the tabernacle of the Lord , and to stand before the community to minister to them? 16:10 He has brought you near and all your brothers , the sons of Levi , with you. Do you now seek the priesthood also ? 16:11 Therefore you and all your company have assembled together against the Lord ! And Aaron – what is he that you murmur against him?” 16:12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram , the sons of Eliab , but they said , “We will not come up . 16:13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of the land that flows with milk and honey , to kill us in the wilderness ? Now do you want to make yourself a prince over us?

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • The end of chapter 10 is the high point of the Book of Numbers spiritually. The beginning of chapter 11 records the beginning of the spiritual decline of Israel that resulted in God's judging the nation. He postponed the fulf...
  • Having received their sentence from the Lord, the people then presumptuously proceeded to go up on their own to take the land (vv. 40-42)."They are like children who had broken a valuable vase and decided to make it better' b...
  • Moses recorded few events during the years of Israel's wandering in the wilderness, but those he did preserve have instructive value. Most important among them is the rebellion of Korah's group against Moses and Aaron, and Go...
  • "As the laws increase and the constraints grow, the people seem less willing or less capable of following them. At this point in the narrative we see that the whole order of the priesthood is thrown open to direct confrontati...
  • God gave this law so the nation might maintain purity as the older generation died off in the wilderness. Its purpose was not to remove sin itself but to remove the uncleanness that death represented because of its connection...
  • Here begins the fourth and last leg of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.1. From Egypt to Sinai (Exod. 12-19)2. From Sinai to Kadesh (Num. 11-12)3. From Kadesh back to Kadesh--38 years of wilderness wand...
  • The Book of Numbers is a lesson in the importance of trust and obedience. The Israelites frequently failed to trust and obey God in the hours of their trials, and consequently God postponed His blessing. Most of them never en...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The lesson the writer intended this incident to teach the readers is that Yahweh is holy and His people should not take His presence among them lightly (cf. Lev. 10:1-11; Num. 16). God's presence is real, and His people must ...
  • 106:6 The psalmist confessed that Israel had been unfaithful to God. This was true of his own generation as it had been true of former generations. This confession introduced a review of specific iniquities and wickedness.106...
  • 2:19 Even though some in the church were upsetting and being upset, the church itself had stood and would continue to stand firm (Gr. perfect tense; cf. vv. 20-21; 1 Cor. 3:10-12; Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Tim. 3:15). The witness (seal...
  • Having explored the concept of Jesus as a faithfulhigh priest (3:1-4:14), the writer proceeded next to develop the idea that Jesus is a mercifulhigh priest in the service of God (cf. 2:17). A high priest must be faithful to G...
  • v. 10 The things the false teachers did not understand but reviled probably refer to aspects of God's revealed will that they chose to reject (cf. 1 Cor. 2:7-16)."Jude, like his brother James, denounces the sins of the tongue...
  • 5:6 As with our dreams, John's vision contained some unusual features. John saw the Messiah as a Lamb.229The Lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ at His first advent, meek and submissive to a sacrificial death as our substitute (...
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