Chapter 37: Korah’s Rebellion
Q1 - When Moses fell facedown, what did it signify? Toward whom was this action directed? What do you think he was thinking or speaking while he lay on the ground? Although this action is not customarily done today, how can you apply the meaning of Moses’s response to handling challenges in your own life?
A1 - Evidently falling on ones’ face has been practiced for centuries as a means of showing submission or honor toward someone else, particularly when before a ruler or king or god. Moses regularly fell facedown before Yahweh. Yet, in several instances, he fell facedown before the Israelite people. He did so in Numbers 14:5 when the people rebelled against entering Canaan, and now in this lesson, in Numbers 16:4, he fell facedown when he learned of the rebellion which Korah was leading. He would fall facedown several more times before this incident was over, but in Numbers 16:22 and again in Numbers 16:45, he appears to be prostrating himself before God rather than the people.
Moses was God’s appointed leader for the Israelite people, but at the same time, he was their servant. He had devoted his life to fulfilling what God had called him to do, to see that the Israelites got to the Promised Land. After all that he had been through with these people and the times he had interceded for them to keep God from destroying them, for them to now turn on him and revolt against his leadership must have been heartbreaking.
We can only speculate as to what thoughts were going through Moses's mind as he lay prostrate before the people. Certainly, he felt great distress over the rebellion Korah had instigated. He knew the people were actually rebelling against God, and that once again, they were provoking Him to the point of destroying them. In all likelihood, Moses was praying fervently for God to show mercy toward the Israelites and begging Him for wisdom to know how to deal with them.
Falling facedown shows great humility. Certainly, it should get the attention of others. In this case, it probably kept Moses from screaming at the people. One Bible commentator noted that Moses listened first, then fell facedown, and finally, he spoke. While most people might not respond today by falling facedown, certainly it is often a good idea to listen first and gather your thoughts, even while praying for God’s guidance, before opening your mouth to speak.
Q2 - Why do you think God spared Korah’s sons but destroyed the entire families of Dathan and Abiram? Who were some of the descendants of Korah? (See 1 Chronicles 6:33–38.) Psalm 42 is among the eleven Psalms credited to the sons of Korah. This article provides more information on the sons of Korah: “Who were the sons of Korah in the Old Testament?”
A2 - When this insurrection occurred, Korah and his company of followers gathered at the entrance of the tent of meeting in opposition to Moses and Aaron. You’ll notice that Korah’s family is never mentioned either here or later when the earth split open and swallowed the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Evidently his family did not join him in this insurrection, or if they did initially, they turned away when they realized the gravity of the situation. At any rate, we are told in Numbers 26:11 that Korah’s line did not die out (other versions state his sons or his children did not die).
While Dathan and Abiram were identified as part of those participating in the rebellion, they were not present at the time Moses was confronting Korah and the others. When Moses sent for them, they stayed in their tents and refused to come. So when Moses went to them, the families of Dathan and Abiram stood together with them at the doors of their tents. In so doing, their families intentionally cast their lots with these men, and they subsequently perished with them. Dathan and Abiram are specifically mentioned along with Korah in the account of the second census given in Numbers 26:7–11.
As was mentioned in a footnote to this lesson, On, the son of Peleth, is named only in Numbers 16:1. Neither he nor his father are mentioned anywhere else in the whole Bible. Various commentators suggest that maybe he had a change of heart when he learned the gravity of the situation, but we do not know.
The sons of Korah not only survived this incident, but they also went on to become leaders in the Israelite community. Eleven of the Psalms are identified as being a psalm of the “sons of Korah”—Psalms 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 84, 85, 87, and 88. Korah’s descendants are given in 1 Chronicles 6:22–38. His great-grandfather was Levi, who had three sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari (1 Chronicles 6:1). Korah descended from Kohath, and you’ll notice in the listing of those who later descended from Korah the name of the prophet, Samuel (1 Chronicles 6:27).
Then the scriptures in 1 Chronicles 6:31–38 explain how King David went on to put several men in charge of the music in the house of the Lord. From the Kohathites came Heman, the musician, who was the grandson of Samuel. This listing traces Heman’s lineage back to Korah and finally on back to Levi.
Q3 - Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) states: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” What does this scripture mean? Discuss it in light of today’s lesson. This article provides a good discussion of the topic: “What does it mean that God is not mocked?”
A3 - Korah, Dathan, and Abiram sowed a great deal of discord among the Israelite people. They challenged the leadership that God had put in place. They claimed that they and the whole community were holy and were therefore just as qualified as Moses and Aaron. Somehow in their arrogance, they thought they could go head-to-head with God Himself.
Dathan and Abiram took their defiance even further. First, they refused to go to Moses when summoned. Then, they and their families stood together at the entrances of their tents and taunted Moses with untruths. They claimed Moses had brought them up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, meaning Egypt, only to kill them in the desert. Then they had the audacity to claim that Moses had failed to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey or given them an inheritance of fields and vineyards. In fact, Moses had brought them to Canaan, but the Israelites not only refused to cross into the land and take it, they also talked of stoning Caleb and Joshua for urging them to do so. And they also wanted to choose a leader and go back to Egypt, the very land from which God had so miraculously delivered them.
These insurrectionists, while acting in defiance of Moses and Aaron, were actually spitting in the face of God. They were saying that all that God had done for them wasn’t good enough, that they preferred Egypt over God! It’s no wonder that God responded in such a dramatic fashion by having the earth split open and swallow up these people and their belongings. They certainly reaped the rewards of their defiance and all the discord they had sown.