The Destruction of Korah is a significant event recorded in the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Numbers, which highlights the miraculous intervention of God in response to rebellion against divinely appointed leadership. This event is a profound demonstration of God's holiness and authority, serving as a warning against insubordination and a testament to His power.

Biblical Account

The narrative of Korah's rebellion is found in Numbers 16. Korah, a Levite, along with Dathan, Abiram, and On, sons of Reuben, led a revolt against Moses and Aaron. They gathered 250 prominent community leaders and challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron, questioning their authority and claiming that the entire congregation was holy (Numbers 16:3). This insurrection was not merely against human leaders but against God's chosen representatives.

Divine Response

Moses, upon hearing the challenge, fell facedown and sought the Lord's guidance. He proposed a test to determine whom God had chosen: the rebels were to take censers and present incense before the Lord, and God would reveal His choice (Numbers 16:5-7). The following day, as the rebels stood with their censers at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly (Numbers 16:18-19).

Miraculous Judgment

God instructed Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the assembly so that He might consume the rebels instantly. However, Moses and Aaron interceded, pleading for the congregation, and God commanded the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16:20-24). Moses declared that if the rebels died a natural death, then the Lord had not sent him. But if the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them alive, it would be a sign that these men had treated the Lord with contempt (Numbers 16:28-30).

As soon as Moses finished speaking, the ground beneath the rebels split apart, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with their households and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the assembly (Numbers 16:31-33). This miraculous event was a direct act of divine judgment, affirming Moses' leadership and the sanctity of God's chosen order.

Aftermath and Further Miracles

Following the destruction of Korah and his followers, a fire from the Lord consumed the 250 men who were offering incense (Numbers 16:35). This further demonstrated God's rejection of unauthorized worship and His demand for holiness among those who approach Him.

To prevent future rebellions, God instructed Moses to collect the censers of the men who had sinned and hammer them into sheets to overlay the altar, serving as a reminder that only the descendants of Aaron were authorized to burn incense before the Lord (Numbers 16:38-40).

The next day, the entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of killing the Lord's people. In response, God sent a plague among the people, which was only halted when Aaron, at Moses' instruction, took his censer, ran into the midst of the assembly, and made atonement for them (Numbers 16:46-48). This act of intercession stopped the plague, but not before 14,700 people had died (Numbers 16:49).

Significance

The destruction of Korah and his followers serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of rebellion against God's established order. It underscores the importance of recognizing and respecting divinely appointed leadership and the seriousness with which God views challenges to His authority. This event, marked by miraculous interventions, highlights God's sovereignty and the necessity of obedience to His commands.Numbers 16:31-35
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split asunder that was under them:
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Deuteronomy 11:6,7
And what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the middle of all Israel:
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Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
... You dwell, said he, in the City of Destruction, the place also where I was born;
I see it to be so; and dying there, sooner or later, you will sink lower than ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/mr bunyans last sermon .htm

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