Now Korah, the son of Ishar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab and On, Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses with certain of the children of Israel, 250 princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said unto them, You 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.' And when Moses heard, he fell upon his face."

Now this narrative is mentioned in the New Testament book of Jub as the gainsaying of Korah. The opposition, the rebellion of Korah. Korah was a Levite. He was not a priest, but he was a Levite. The tribes, the tribe God used for the service of the tabernacle, And he was Moses and Aaron's cousin. He had known these men all of his life.

So Korah and Dathan and Abiram and on took men. Evidently, before they confronted Moses, they influenced these 250 men. And they rose up before Moses. with certain of the children of Israel, 250 princes of the assembly. Now, before this took place, they got together with these men and figured out how they were going to stop Moses and Aaron from taking too much on themselves. Verse three, and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

Now this has been played out thousands of times in churches over the centuries. This accusation, Moses, you take too much on yourself. You've got too much power. We don't have enough. You and Aaron are taking too much authority upon yourself. You think you're the only one that has the word of God. Aaron, you think you're the only one who can come into God's presence. We're just as holy as you. You lift up yourselves too much.

Now, I have seen preachers use this passage of scripture to say, you better watch out what you do against God's man. Ground might swallow you up just like they did the sons of Corinth. Watch out. Watch out what you say about God's man. Now, this is not what this is about. I'm thankful, aren't you? I remember one time hearing Ralph Barnard say, it's a good thing I'm not God. I'd send you to hell. I thought, boy, I'm glad he's not too.

But what is going on here? They're against Moses and against Aaron. Now, this is not just a play for power. That's what it appears. I want power. You've got too much power. I want some of your power. I want more power than you have. This is not what really this is about. Moses is the man through whom the word of God came. Moses has something to do with scriptures alone.

Turn back to Numbers 12, something similar happened. And Miriam and Aaron. spake against Moses. Here's Aaron's doing it. He's speaking against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married. For he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? See what the problem is? You mean the word of God comes only through you? We got a problem with that. Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard. I love that. The Lord heard. He hears everything. He hears what's going on in my mind right now. He hears what's going on in your mind right now. The Lord heard.

Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses and unto Aaron and to Miriam, come out ye three into the tabernacle of the congregation. And the three came out and the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud. and stood in the door of the tabernacle and called Aaron and Mariam. And they both came forth and he said, hear ye now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dream. But my servant Moses is not so. Who is faithful in all mine house with him will I speak."

Now there's the point. Moses is scripture alone. Now, what about Aaron? Why were they against Aaron? Aaron, you think you're the only one that can offer up incense? You think you're the only one that can come into God's presence behind the veil and the holy of holies? You're the only one? We object to that. We're just as holy as you. We can offer up sacrifices just as well as you.

They spake against Moses. Scripture alone. They spake against Aaron. Christ alone. And you know, this is really always the issue. Scripture alone, what God says, the Bible's inspired word of God. What does God say in the Bible? Well, here's a summary of everything he says in the Bible, Christ alone.

They spake against Moses. They spake against Aaron. Turn back to number 16. And they gathered themselves together against Moses, against Aaron, and said unto them, you 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? And when Moses heard, he fell upon his face. He knew there was some real trouble getting ready to take place. He knew what was going on.

And he spake unto Corin and to all of his company, saying, even tomorrow the Lord will show who are his and who is holy, and he will cause him to come near unto him, and even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. Now this knew. You think you're up to offer an instance which only the priests could offer? They were just Levites. They weren't allowed to, but they decided they could do it.

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 shall choose, he shall be holy. What you're accusing me of is exactly what you're doing. You're taking to yourself too much, ye sons of Levi.

Verse eight, and Moses said unto Korah, here I pray you, you sons of Levi, seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And he hath brought thee near to him and all thy brethren, the sons of Levi, with thee, and seek ye the priesthood also.

You've been so blessed to be a Levite. And now you're seeking to be a priest. You know, this is the same sin that Saul committed when he was not going to wait for Samuel. He thought I'll offer up a sacrifice myself. This is the same. seeing that Uzziah committed, he thought, I can burn incense to the Lord. Remember in the Lord, the priest said, this appertains not to you, Uzziah, he was a king. But when he tried to offer incense to the Lord, God turned him into a leopard, killed him.

This thing of bypassing Christ. You know the special judgments that came from the Lord? We're always for religious sins. Uzzah. Remember when the ark was on the cart and he thought it was going to fall off? The ark hit a rut or something. He put out his hand to touch it and God killed him on the spot. He presumed to think he could come into God's presence without a priest.

What about Nadab and Bayou, the sons of Aaron? They light fire, they light the incense without the fire that came up from off the altar. Only the fire from off the altar, the sacrifice of Christ, was the fire that could be used to light the incense. They thought, well, any old fire will do. They lit up another incense with a fire from without the altar and fire came down from heaven and consumed them. Moses said to Aaron after God killed his two sons, don't make a sound. They had it coming. They failed to sanctify the Lord God.

What about Belshazzar, that heathen king? He's having a party, a drunken party. Everybody's having a good time, nothing happens. All of a sudden he said, let's get the vessels of the Lord out, Jehovah, and let's drink our wine out of those vessels. That's when he sees the writing on the wall, thou art weighed together in the balances and found wanting, and God killed him that very night.

And this thing of bypassing Christ is the ultimate act of presumption.

Verse 11, for which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron? And what is Aaron that you murmur against him? This is not the issue. This is not a power play against me and Aaron. You're murmuring against the Lord. You're seeking to bypass him.

Verse 12, and Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, which said, will not come up. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us out of the land that floweth with milk and honey? It's interesting, they call Egypt the land that flows with milk and honey at this time. They turn things around. To kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? Moreover, thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or giveth us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? We'll not come up.

And Moses was very wroth. He started taking this personal. It's hard not to take things personal, but you shouldn't, but he was. He took it personal. He got very angry and Moses was very wroth. Now we just read where he was the meekest man in all the earth and he was, but he still got very wroth. He got very angry over this and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering. I've not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou in all thy company before the Lord, thou and they, and Aaron tomorrow. And take every man his censer, and put incense, and bring it before the Lord. Every man his censer, 250 censers, thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer, and these 250 mighty men.

And they took every man of center and put fire therein and laid incense thereon and stood in the door of the tabernacle, the congregation with Moses and Aaron. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them under the door of the tabernacle, the congregation, and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation, the Shekinah glory of the Lord. In that cloud, that brightness, there was some kind of visible appearance.

And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, separate yourself from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. This is what Dave was reading about Moses' intercession. He prays for him. You know, if there's one man I'd want praying for me, I'd want Moses praying for me. Every time the Lord, he prayed to the Lord, the Lord answered him as a type of Christ.

Separate yourselves from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment. The Lord's gonna wipe them all out. I mean the entire nation. And they fell upon their faces and said, oh God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and will thou be wroth with all the congregation? And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speak ye unto the congregation saying, get ye up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him, and he spake unto the congregation, all the children of Israel, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed with all their sins. So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, on every side. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

And Moses said, Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I've not done them of mine own mind. This word is God's word, not mine. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord hath not sent me. If they just die a common death, the Lord never sent me. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open up her mouth and swallow them up with all that appertaineth unto them, and they go down quick into the pit, Then you shall know and understand that these men have provoked the Lord."

Here's the issue. It's not me and Aaron. It's the Lord. Verse 31, and it came to pass as he'd made it into speaking all these words that the ground clave asunder that was under them. And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up. and their houses, and all the men that appertained to Korah, and all their goods, they and all that appertained to them went down alive into the pit. And the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them, for they said, lest the earth swallow us up also."

I would have been doing the same thing. When I saw the ground cleave, I'd be running as far away as I could. Well, that's what they were doing. They were scared to death of what was taking place. And there came out a fire from the Lord and consumed these 250 men that offered incense.

And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speaking to Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning and scatter thou the fire yonder for they're hollowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls. I like that. Sinners against their own souls. Let them make them broad plates for covering of the altar, for they offered them before the Lord. Therefore they are hallowed, and they shall be assigned unto the children of Israel.

Remember, only the priest can be brought into, can come into God's presence. Not just a Levite, it's got to be the priest. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can come into God's presence. Verse 39, in Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers wherewith they were burnt, had offered, and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to remind them that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he be not as Korah and as his company as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses. That was a sign to them all the time.

Verse 41, on the morrow, all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron saying, you have killed the people of the Lord. Now you would think that after what they had witnessed, they'd be afraid to say something like that. You'd think that. But this lets us know, this gives us some idea of how wicked these people were and how wicked you and I are. We'd be right there with them.

They speak again against Moses, scriptures alone. against Aaron, only Christ can come into God's presence. Only one, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 42, and it came to pass when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation and behold, the cloud covered it. pillar of cloud that signified the presence of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord appeared, the Shekinah glory of God appeared. And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation, and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Get ye up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces and Moses said unto Aaron, take a censer, put fire therein from off the altar and put on incense and go quickly into the congregation and make an atonement for them. For there's wrath gone up out from the Lord. The plague has begun.

Verse 47. And Aaron took as Moses commanded this hundred year old man, and picture this in your mind. This is an old man. And he ran into the midst of the congregation where that plague was. And remember, these people were trying to kick him out of his job. And now here he goes running into their midst. He ran into the midst of the congregation and behold, the plague was begun among the people. And he put on incense and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living. And the plague was stayed.

Go make an atonement. Now, what in the world is an atonement? What's it mean? He said, the only way that plague will be stayed is if you go make an atonement.

A week or two ago, when I was watching the World Series, there was one of the players committed a costly error and run scored because of it. And it could have cost them the game. And I felt bad for the guy, it was a boneheaded error. And if you know baseball, errors are boneheaded, particularly if it's one of your, at any rate. Every time he got up after that to bat, the announcer would say, let's see if he can atone for his mistake. He committed that error, it's gonna cost him the game, let's see if he can atone for it, make up for it and make it right.

That's not what the Bible means by atonement. There is nothing you or I can do to atone for our sins. Now, the word atonement is found 102 times in the Old Testament scriptures and 71 times it's translated atonement. The word is mentioned 44 times in the book of Leviticus that speaks of the Levitical priesthood and the great day of atonement. The way the word is first used is found in the book of Genesis, where Noah built that ark, and then he pitched it with pitch. He atoned it with atonement. It's actually the same word. That ark was covered with this black, tarry substance that kept the water out. But he didn't only pitch it on the outside, he pitched it on the inside.

If you were in, all you saw was that black, tarry substance. That black, tarry substance kept the wrath of God, the water from entering. What was it that kept the wrath of God from entering? The atonement, the pitch. And what keeps you on the inside? The atonement, the pitch. That's what keeps you on the inside. The blood of Christ, most precious, the sinner's perfect plea. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The atonement of Christ keeps within and without. Some of the translations for this Hebrew word, kopher, it's translated purge. Make a purging. It's translated reconciliation, reconcile, forgive, purge away, pacify, merciful, cleansed, disannulled, appeased, put off, pardoned, pitch. The perpetuatory sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the idea of atonement, at-one-ment, is most clearly signified on the great day of atonement. It happened once a year. You can read about it in Leviticus chapter 16. We're going to go there. The great high priest, Aaron, and his sons, one time a year, only once, If anybody else would have tried going in, they would have been killed instantly. Only Aaron, only the great high priest could come behind the veil into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle blood upon the altar. I think this is so interesting. Aaron, before he could offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people, he first had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins with a bullock. You see, he couldn't, God couldn't accept something from him if he were unclean. So he would first offer a sacrifice for his own sins, and then he would offer a sacrifice for the sins of the children of Israel. And there would be two goats brought. Lots would be cast for which one would be the scapegoat and which one would be the sin offering to let us know that the Lord's in control of everything. That's what the lots signify.

But would you turn with me for a moment to Leviticus chapter 16? Now remember Aaron had already offered a sacrifice for himself before he could do this.

Verse 15, then shall he kill, Leviticus chapter 16 verse 15, then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering that's for the people and bring his blood within the veil and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, what he did for himself, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. And he shall make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions and all their sins.

So how shall he do for this tabernacle, the congregation, the remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness? And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement for the holy place, until he come out and have made an atonement for himself and for his household and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go into the altar that's before the Lord and make an atonement for it. and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his fingers seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel."

That blood of the sacrificial animals were sprinkled on the mercy seat seven times by the high priest to make atonement, to make atonement.

Verse 20. And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place and the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel. and all their transgressions, in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness, and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited, and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

This gives us some idea of what was taking place in Gethsemane's garden. When the Lord Jesus Christ, alive, he wasn't dead, he was alive, and just as that high priest put his hands on the living goat, and the sins of God's people were figuratively transferred to the Lord Jesus Christ, is what that's talking about, while he was still alive. That's why he was sweating great drops of blood. It wasn't because he was dreading the pain, and I wouldn't diminish that in any way, the pain of the cross, but it was the thought of him actually bearing the sins of his people in his own body on the tree.

Now that is how sinners are saved. Christ bearing their sins, making atonement for them and putting them away.

As the children of Israel had committed extreme wickedness in rejecting Moses and Aaron, Moses calls upon Aaron to run into the midst of the congregation This old man running. I love to think of it. I mean, he's an old, he's over a hundred years old. Yet he runs into the congregation in the midst of the plague. These people were against Aaron and he acts in their behalf anyway. I can see where Aaron might've been hesitant. Look at the way they've treated me. But he runs into the midst of the plague.

This makes me think of Christ running to the cross. in joyous anticipation of glorifying his father and saving his people from their sins. Oh, he was so voluntary in all of this for people who were nothing but sin, nothing but as bad as these people. Aaron, the one great high priest, that's what Korah and his company were against, but this is the only one who is able to save. I mean, there's no way these, after this second rebellion, first they were against Moses and Aaron, and they're giving this great demonstration of God's displeasure with that when he opens the ground to swallow them up. And then the next day they do the same thing. Just as bad, just like when, were you reading in Deuteronomy, when David's reading, he said, you're just as bad as you ever were. And that's what it said.

What is the only thing, the only one, who is the only one who can do anything for people like this? Aaron making the great atonement.

Now, in order for me to come into God's presence, somebody's gonna have to come into God's presence for me. The Lord Jesus Christ, and bring me into God's presence. And to worship God, What is worship God? What is the worship of God? Is it some feeling of all? Well, there ought to be a feeling of all, but the worship of God is believing that the only way I can be accepted is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That's worship. Oh, I hope that strikes us with fear. That only is worship. Knowing I can only come through the atonement, the at-one-ment, the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, Aaron the propitiator. This people didn't have anything to recommend them. They were so wicked. The only one who kept them from being destroyed is Aaron and his atonement. Look at verse 47 again in Numbers. Number 16. And Aaron took, as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation. And behold, the plague was begun among the people. Many people were dying. Can you imagine how frightening that must have been? I mean, instant death. As a matter of fact, your own reading, over 14,000 people died during this time when this plague came in.

And Aaron took as Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the congregation. Behold, the plague was begun among the people. And he put on incense and made an atonement for the people. Now this incense represents the intercession of Christ. It represents the atonement of Christ, him pleading his own precious blood.

Verse 48, and he, Aaron, stood between the dead and the living. And the plague was stayed. Now Aaron did this alone. Moses didn't help him. When he had by himself purged our sins. You didn't help. You didn't even ask for it. He did this by himself. No help from his father. His father forsook him. No help from his people. They forsook him. No angels helping him. I know they appeared to him in the garden, but they weren't helping him on the cross. Aaron did this by himself. He tread the winepress of the wrath of God Almighty alone.

Now, the only way I can be saved is if Christ by himself does it all. Christ alone. We read in verse 48 of two kinds of people, the dead and the living. You know, that's the only kind of people in this room right now. You're either dead, dead in sins. or you live before God. Having the life of God in your soul given in the new birth. The dead and the living. There's only two kinds of people. The dead and the living. The saved and the lost. The righteous and the wicked. There's always just two kinds of people. The dead and the living.

Now my question is, What was the difference between the dead and the living at that time? One difference. The great high priest, Aaron, the Lord Jesus Christ, stood between the dead and the living. Now verse 41, But on the morrow, all the congregation, the children of Israel, murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, you've killed the people of the Lord. That's us. Is it you? Verse 48, and he stood Aaron stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed.

When we speak of the five solas, and I like the five solas, scriptures alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, the glory of God alone, Very important. But did you know it's really only two solas? Scriptures alone, Christ alone. Grace alone, faith alone, and the glory of God alone come out of Christ alone. What is the word of God? Christ alone. Now that means so much, but let me leave you with this. All I have is Christ alone. He's all my acceptance. I don't have Christ and anything. Christ alone. Can you say in your heart before God as he looks upon you, Christ alone is all I have.

Well, if you can, let me say this to you as well. You have everything. If you have Christ alone, you have everything. Thank God for the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Lord, how thankful we are for our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who made the atonement for our sins. Lord, deliver us from looking anywhere other than him, because we know, Lord, if we do, we don't know you. We don't know who we are. We're strangers, dear grace. Deliver us from looking to our works or our evidences or our experience or the things we intend to do, the things we intend to not do. Give everyone in this room, according to your will, the grace to look to Christ alone. Enable us to bow to thy word alone. In Christ's name we pray, amen.