I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Numbers 16-18.

After their devastating loss when they entered the Promised Land against Moses’ and God’s command, the people were dissatisfied by Moses’ leadership.  A Levite by the name of Korah lead a rebellion to replace Moses as spokesperson for God.  He and three leaders from the tribe of Reuben led a rebellion against Moses.  It appears that the core of Korah’s rebellion was that he demanded that he and 250 of his followers be allowed to function as priests.  Perhaps Korah was also calling for all of the people of Israel to be acknowledged as able to function as priests. 

Actually, there seems to be two elements to the rebellion.  Korah and the Levites who followed him wanted to be able to serve as priests (and probably wanted the authority that went with that).  While the Reubenite leaders appeared to want to reject Moses’ authority to lead.  When Moses summoned Korah and his followers to the Tabernacle for a contest to demonstrate who had divine approval, the Reubenite leaders refused to come and take part.  This suggests to me that they believed that Moses had rigged the contest.  Despite their unwillingness to go before Moses and God to make their case, they died for their rebellion along with the rest of Korah’s key followers.  The passage tells us that the death of Korah and his leadership cadre was not enough to settle the grumbling against Moses and Aaron.  It took a plague stopped by Aaron’s intervention and the miraculous blossoming of Aaron’s staff to settle the discontent among the people.