The People Blame Moses And Aaron

Korah and his followers had rebelled against God choosing Moses as the leader and Aaron and his family as the priests.  As a result, God had caused an earthquake that swallowed up Korah and his immediate followers, and a fire that burned up the two hundred fifty men who decided to take over the priesthood. Ignoring the fact that only God could have caused an earthquake and an eruption of burning gas at that precise location and time, the people accused Moses of murdering God’s people, in Numbers 16:41.  “But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.” 

The people were almost ready to execute Moses and Aaron for murder, when God intervened, in Numbers 16:42-45.  “And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.  And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment.”

James 1:13 tells us, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”   Since only God could have killed these men the way they were killed, the people were blaspheming God by accusing Moses and Aaron of murder.   Anyone who has been falsely accused can understand the Lord’s anger.  Just a few days before, the people had refused to trust him and go into the land, with the result that God had said they would die in the wilderness.  Now they were accusing him of murder, and he told Moses and Aaron to get out of the way so he could destroy the whole bunch.  God sent a plague upon the people to make them realize how wicked they were.

Moses and Aaron prayed for the people and Aaron offered sacrifices in an attempt to placate the Lord, in Numbers 16:45b-49.  “And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.  And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.  And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.  Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.”

Fourteen thousand seven hundred people died before Aaron could placate the Lord for their accusations of murder.  God gave a permanent reminder that he had chosen Aaron’s family as his priests in Numbers 16:50-17:11.  “And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.  And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.  And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.  And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.”

And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.  And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.  And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.  And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.  And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.”

Aarons rod was placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a permanent reminder to Israel that God had chosen the the tribe of Levi to be his priests, and that rebellion against him would result in death.  Instead of being thankful for what God had done for them, the people began to feel like he was out to get them, according to Numbers 176:12-13.  “And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?”  Like many today, they began to feel like it wasn’t worth serving God, never realizing the problem was their own attitudes and choices.