The Destruction of Koran and His Company

The Destruction of Korah and His Company

In Numbers 16 and 17 we read of the destruction of Korah and all his company. They attacked Moses and Aaron by accusing the latter of taking too much upon themselves and lifting themselves up above the assembly of the Lord. God judged Korah and his company, and the ground opened its mouth and swallowed them up. On the next day, when the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron by saying that the latter had killed the Lord’s people, there came down wrath from God upon the people. Then God spoke to Moses, instructing him that twelve rods—one for each of the twelve princes of Israel—were to be laid in the tent of meeting before the Testimony. And the man whose rod budded was thereby known to be the one chosen by God. So that in this severe judgment we can discover a great principle. If people are merely striving to be "the greater among themselves, God will pass them over. The two brothers James and John, for example, wished to be great, yet the earth was not opened to swallow them up. Even during the Lord’s last supper with His disciples, they were still arguing about who was the greater, but neither on that occasion did the ground open its mouth to engulf them. Why, then, must there be such severe consequence in the above incident from Numbers? There can be only one reason, which is, that they had sinned against the testimony of the Lord. For the testimony here is: that a dead person cannot serve God, only the resurrected one can. Only in the power of resurrection can man serve the Lord.

Apart from resurrection there is no life. At the time of the Garden of Eden man could see the tree of life, but today life is only found in resurrection since death has already come in. Life today is represented by resurrection. And hence, without resurrection no one may approach God. The life in us which we believers know today has passed through death, therefore it is called resurrection life. How exquisite is the word of Revelation: "I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore" (1.18). Today’s problem is no longer how to keep alive but how to be raised from among the dead. And just as our Lord is now standing on resurrection ground, so we too must stand on the same ground. Nothing but what stands on resurrection ground may come before God. Everything must go through death and be made alive again. How much of our human eloquence, thought, ability, strength and cleverness has not passed through death and is not on resurrection ground! With the result that these things gain for us no access to God.

Thus in the above incident concerning Aaron’s rod we are clearly shown that only what was resurrected could serve God. The rod which budded proved beyond doubt that the resurrected one alone was given the ministry, for without resurrection there could be no service. Now this is testimony. This incident attests to a most important principle: that no one can approach the Lord except on resurrection ground. When man was first created, he was able to draw near to God; but after his fall he could only come by resurrection, because a sinner who would thereafter dare to approach God must die.

Resurrection is therefore the one and only condition for the service of God today. Naturally this resurrection means more than simply receiving the resurrection life; it also speaks of the working of the cross in men’s lives. Just as the cross was a subtraction to the Lord Jesus, so it needs to be a subtraction to His followers as well. When the mob was intent on having the Lord crucified, they shouted: "Away with him, away with him!" So that the cross is a great subtraction, in that the old creation must all be taken way. How can the testimony of God be maintained if the rod fails to bud and the old creation does not fade away? And hence we may say that God opens just one door by which we may enter in. All who do not come in through that door must die.

The reason therefore why Korah and all his company suffered such severe judgement on that day was because they had sinned against the testimony of the Lord. God may allow certain things to pass unnoticed, but He will never let anything slip by which sins against His testimony—against His character and person. Let it be known that the basis aim of God’s discipline upon us is to preserve His testimony. In other words, He does not want himself misunderstood. Concerning many people who sin, the most critical thing one can say is how bad they are, but one cannot criticize God. There are certain matters and actions which can bring adverse reflection on God; and these will not be overlooked by Him since they sin against testimony—even against God himself.