Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-Korah.html#ixzz2thPktbwA
The story
begins with the Israelites of Moses’ time as they journeyed through the wilderness
just after leaving Egypt. In Numbers Chapter 3, God set aside the Levites, out
of the tribes of Israel, for full time service to Him. They were ordained to
take care of the tabernacle and all of its implements, as well as the Ark of
the Covenant. Only the descendants of Moses and Aaron, however, were allowed to
serve as priests.
The three sons of Levi were Gershon, Merari and Kohath.
The
Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its
coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the curtains of
the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the
tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use.
The Merarites
were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars,
posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, as well
as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and
ropes.
The
Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lamp
stand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the
curtain, and everything related to their use. They were under the direct
supervision of Eleazar, son of Aaron.
Unlike the Gershonites and the Merarites, who were allowed to transport the
items under their care on carts, the Kohathites had to carry their items, the
holy things of the Tabernacle, on their shoulders. They had the hot, arduous
burden of transporting these items from place to place as the camp moved, but they were not allowed to actually touch the
items or they would die. The priests had to wrap the sacred objects in
special coverings before they were transported (Numbers 4:15).
Many of the Kohathites began to disdain
this task and to covet the role of the priests.
Korah was the grandson of Kohath, and he began to run with another group of
Reubenite malcontents, namely, Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of
Peleth. In pride, they roused a group of
250 men together to challenge the rights of Moses and Aaron to the priesthood
(Numbers 16).
Moses summoned the rebellious men to stand before God and burn incense. God
warned Moses to let the assembly know to get away from Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram, their households and the other rebels. Then a remarkable and terrifying
event happened.
“Then Moses said, ‘This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do
all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death
and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the
LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and
swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive
into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the
LORD with contempt.’ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the
earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all
those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down
alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed
over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries,
all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, ‘The earth is going to swallow
us too!’ And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were
offering the incense” (Numbers 16:28-35).
Although this clearly marked the end of Korah, we discover that Korah’s sons, perhaps too young to
understand their father’s uprising or maybe too cognizant of God’s authority to
join in the revolt, were spared (Numbers 26:9-11).
God judged those who turned against Him in active rebellion and purified His
people, but He still had a purpose and
plan for even the line of Korah. After seven
successive generations, the prophet Samuel
arose from the line of Korah, the genealogy of which is recorded in 1 Chronicles 6:31-38, 1 Chronicles 38,
and 1 Samuel 1:1, 20.
The Korahites became doorkeepers and
custodians for the tabernacle (1 Chronicles 9:19-21, 1 Chronicles 2.)
One group of Korahites (1 Chronicles 12:6) joined King David in various military
exploits and won the reputation of being
expert warriors. However, the most remarkable thing to note about the sons
of Korah is that during the time of King
David, they became the great leaders in choral and orchestral music in the
Tabernacle and the Temple. Heman the Korahite had a place of great
importance as a singer, along with Asaph (Gershonite) and Ethan or Jeduthan
(Merarite). These individuals played an important role in the thanksgiving
services and pageantry when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem.
David formed an elaborate organization for song, instrumental music, and
prophesying through these men.
Of all of the Psalms, about 25 are
attributed to the sons of Korah. These beautiful Psalms express a spirit of
great gratitude and humility to an awesome, mighty God. They express a longing
for God and deep devotion. These poetic songs include Psalms 42-49,
50, 62,
and 72-85. Psalms 42:1 contains the beautiful line, “As the deer pants
for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” Psalm 84:1
states, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O God.” Psalm 46:1-3
conveys the powerful message, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present
help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the
mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and
the mountains quake with their surging.”
One wonders if the poet who penned these
lyrics was remembering his ignoble beginnings, his distant ancestor who
perished in an earthquake for his pride and rebellion. Perhaps it was that
reflection that prompted the following words of the Psalms: “He says, ‘Be
still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be
exalted in the earth’” (Psalm 46:10). For each of us, our own songs of renewed
purpose and redemption should flow out of a heart of humility as we remember
the fallen state from which He raised us and the redemption that we experience
through His grace. This was certainly the case for the sons of Korah.
THOTS
Not matter
your background, things you’ve done
God loves
you
God wants to
use you
You are
useable
God has a
plan
God ways are
always best
No plan of
His can be thwarted
You can
trust Him
Out of the
tragedy of the past good things can happen
Deep respect for God and His house (humble
and committed – from pride and rebellious)
Hope in the midst of sorrow, doubt,
and loss =
Great faith
Great songs
Great warrior
Great keepers of the house of God
God is glorified
by using people we would not choose. We find this time and again in Scripture,
While humans look
for folks who seem to have the right resume God looks for a willing heart. He
doesn’t care about backgrounds or qualifications.
Children are not
held responsible for the sins of their fathers.
Life is not fair.
Get over it. When things happen to us, even things over which we had no
control, we can get bitter, or we can get better.
It’s time to stop
blaming others for things that are messed up in our lives.
Quatamala Sinkhole
