Korah fights Moses

By Mary Vee
Numbers 16:1-16

Moses Thoughts

Aaron and I came out of the Tabernacle and found a group of men standing there.  They looked angry, really angry.

Korah, one of the Levites stepped toward me. I knew right away he didn't have anything good to say. He didn't even wait for me to ask what was going on before blurting his message. "You take too much upon yourselves." From the look on his face, I knew he didn't care about the amount of work Aaron or I did. He had nothing but mischief in mind.

Korah glanced back at the leaders with him.  They gave him a nod and signaled him to keep talking. Korah straightened his shoulders. "Moses, haven't your realized the whole congregation is holy?  All of us. Every member of the children of Israel. You can see the Lord is among us. So, why are you setting Aaron and yourself above us as though God made the both of you the special ones?"

My heart stopped for a moment. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to talk that way. Didn't he realize the Lord heard him? I dropped to the ground and kept my face low. God could punish him and any one standing around him.

"Korah, tomorrow morning the Lord will show you and the entire camp who belongs to Him and which one is holy. He will have that person come near to Him. You and all that are with you must take a golden container. Put incense in the container and set it on fire as you stand before God. At that time, the Lord will show you who He has chosen as the holy one."

My muscles tightened with anger. How dare he challenge the Lord? I stood and glared at Korah. "You take too much on yourself, you sons of Levi!"

He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a smug look. 

That was it. I'd had it with Korah's attitude. "Listen to me, you sons of Levi: Is it such a small thing to you that the God of Israel separated you from everyone else in the camp and brought you closer to Himself? He chose you to do the work of the tabernacle and to serve the people instead of any other group. He brought you and all your families near to Himself.

"But that wasn't good enough, was it?  Now you want the priesthood, too?  You, Korah, and these men with you have come together against the Lord, Himself.  And why do you pick on Aaron, the high priest?"

I called Korah's partners Dathan and Abiram to come forward. They shouted, "We won't come. We won't listen to you."

I squeezed my staff tighter with anger. I could not allow any more disrespect.  "Lord, do not accept their offerings to you. I haven't taken anything from them, nor have I hurt them."

I had one last message for that evil man. "Korah, you and these men with you must be present before the Lord tomorrow. Aaron will stand before the Lord as well. Then you will see who the Lord has chosen."

I snapped my staff into my hand and stomped away to my tent.

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1. What did Korah want to do?
2. Why was that wrong?
3. Why did Moses fall to the ground?
4. What was the Lord going to do the next day?
5. Why was Moses angry?
6. When is it OK to be angry? (if you are not sure of this or any other answer, please ask your parents, pastor, or email me.)