It will be remembered that the section of
Numbers that has just been before us, viz.,
xi.-xiv., revealed many points of
analogy both with Philippians and Hebrews.
There is one other epistle that comes into line with Philippians,
namely, II Timothy, and we shall find that the next section of
Numbers which we are to study (xvi. and
xvii.) is used in II Timothy
in a significant context.
Numbers xvi. & xvii. is in the first place an attack upon the distinctive
office of the priest, in the second place it provides a corrective against an
argument often used in opposing the distinctive character of the church, the
body, and of the distinctive company in that church who shall attain unto the
prize of the high calling. This is
anticipating somewhat, so we will deal with the actual passage.
Numbers xvi. & xvii. must be looked upon as a whole. There are two rebellions, one by the princes
led by Korah, and the other by the people, both having reference to the
distinctive calling of the priest. The
two chapters may be visualized as follows:--
What was the basis of Korah’s rebellion? Let him speak for himself:--
“Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the
congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above
the congregation of the Lord?” (Numb. xvi. 3).
At the close of chapter xv.
is the command of the Lord that all the children of Israel should wear a
fringe and a riband of blue, a reminder to them to keep all the commandments of
the Lord, to seek not the desires of their own hearts, and to be holy unto the
Lord.
Korah’s argument was that, seeing that all
the congregation was holy, there should be no such distinctions among them
as was evident in the high positions held by Moses and Aaron; that Moses and Aaron had lifted themselves up
above their fellows — all of whom were part of the same congregation of the
Lord.
Moses’ first response is to prostrate
himself before the Lord. He saw the
seriousness of this rebellion, and wisely sought the face of God before
attempting to justify himself before man.
His opening words dispose of the insinuation of Korah, that Moses and
Aaron had lifted themselves up
above the congregation. If there had
been any “lifting up” it was by the sovereign disposal of the Lord Himself:--
“Even
to-morrow the Lord will shew who are His, and who is holy (set apart): and will cause him to come near unto
Him: even him whom He hath chosen will
he cause to come near unto Him. This
do: Take your censers, Korah, and all
his company; and put fire therein; and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the Lord
doth choose, he shall be holy; ye take
too much upon you, ye sons of Levi” (Numb. xvi. 5-7).
Moses
now draws the attention of Korah to the illogical nature of his objection. Korah himself was a Levite, and God had
separated the Levites from the congregation of Israel. They had been brought near to do the service
of the tabernacle of the Lord:--
“He hath
brought thee (Korah) near to Him; and
all thy brethren, the sons of Levi, with thee:
and seek ye the priesthood also?” (Numb.xvi.10).
All
Israel might have justly murmured against Korah, as Korah murmured against
Aaron.
Moses
sought to remonstrate with the sons of Reuben, but they would not hear, but cast
the aspersion upon Moses, that he wished to make himself altogether a prince
over them. Then comes the dreadful
ordeal. “Depart, I pray you, from the
tents of these wicked men” (Numb. xvi. 26).
We know the tragic end. Korah and
his men went down alive into the opened earth and were swallowed up, and the
250 men who had offered incense were consumed with fire.
Here is
a “new thing” or as the Hebrew reads:
“but if the Lord create a creation”.
The first earthquake is associated with usurpation of the priest’s
office. Uzziah also is connected both
with an earthquake and with usurpation of the priest’s office, and Antichrist
will be likewise associated with both.
While we
may be keenly interested in the typical teaching of this passage as it
illuminates the days of antichristian rebellion that are still future, it will
be more profitable to observe the bearing of this tragic end upon
ourselves. One might object, and say
that such things can have no possible bearing upon the church. Let us see.
Two utterances of Moses stand out prominently in chapter xvi.:--
“The Lord will show who are His” (verse
5).
“Depart, I pray you, from the tents of
these wicked men” (26).
These
words re-appear in II Timothy ii.:--
“Nevertheless
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them
that are His, and, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity” (II Tim. ii. 19).
In what
way does II Timothy ii. resembles
Numbers xvi.? Let us remember Korah’s objection to the
possibility of some being called to glory higher than others, though all
members of the same congregation, and then let us see the way in which the
apostle deals with that same spirit:--
“But in a great house (parallel with
the whole congregation) there are not only vessels of gold and of silver (like the
offices of Moses, Aaron, and the Levites), but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to no
honour. If a man therefore purge himself
from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (II Tim. ii. 20, 21).
Some
object to the distinctive glory of the church of the mystery by appealing to
the fact that all the Lord’s people, of whatever calling and company, are
redeemed by the same precious blood, and belong to the same Christ. This is no valid objection. The Lord could choose and has chosen some of
the redeemed to “inherit the earth”, some to walk the streets of the New
Jerusalem, and some to enter their inheritance in the heavenly holiest of
all. The same answer that Moses gave to
Korah must be given here. It is a matter
of the Lord’s sovereign choice. Limiting
ourselves to the one company, the church which is His body, some express
themselves in almost angry terms when any suggestion is made to the teaching of
Philippians, with its out-resurrection and prize, or to II Timothy
with its contest and crown, endurance and reign. These possible distinctions in the one church
in the heavenlies are no more objectionable than the evident distinction
between the comely and uncomely members of the one human body, or the
distinctions that obtained in Israel. To
any who would seek further argument, we would commend the chapter in Dispensational
Truth entitled: “An election within an election”.
Returning to Numbers xvi. &
xvii. we observe that the censers of the
men who rebelled were beaten out into sheets for a covering of the altar, and
to act as a memorial of their rebellion, while the rod that budded was placed
in the holiest of all before the testimony, as a token against the rebels:--
“And thou shalt quite take away their
murmurings from Me, that they die not” (Numb. xvii. 10).
We are brought back therefore to the
initial seed of this awful crop of death — murmuring. Murmuring about God’s sovereign disposal of
glory, dignity or honour reveals a failure to appreciate that the smallest and
lowliest blessing we receive is all of grace.
Korah should have remembered the signal mercy that had led him out of
Egypt, and have been thankful that his bones were not bleaching with those of
the Egyptians on the shore of the Red Sea.
No wonder Philippians, the epistle of the prize winner, is the epistle
of rejoicing, the epistle of contentment, the epistle that warns against
murmuring. Some, we fear, may resent
this message: may it be a means of help
to those who having heard the higher call are seeking grace to run with
patience.
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