1. "When you covet, your problem is not with the people who have what you want. Your problem is with the God of all creation who's given you what you have."

2. "Covetousness is really about a desire to not submit to God's authority any longer, to be your own authority."

3. "A covetous heart leads us to believe that freedom is bondage and bondage is freedom."

4. "A rebellious and covetous heart always sees itself as the victim and never the offender."

5. "The greatest threat to our church's unity today is not from the outside, it is from the inside. That's why we need to watch out for one another to make sure that none of us are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

6. "Don't wink at what God will punish in hell for all eternity. Run from it."

7. "If they don't listen to God's Word, it doesn't matter who the earth swallows up or spits up. They will not believe. The problem is not with their eyes, it is with their hearts."

8. "You and I could never draw near to God. So he drew near to us."

9. "Korah, for his rebellion, was swallowed up by death. Because of our sins, that's what we deserve. But praise be to God that Jesus was swallowed up by death so that death would be swallowed up forever."

10. "The day is coming when the glory of the Lord will appear to all people. On that day there will be no varied opinions about the truth. There will be no insurrection. There will be no rebellion. For all will see the truth and bow before Him."

Observation Questions

1. According to Numbers 16:1-3, who were the main leaders of the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and what was their primary accusation against them?

2. In Numbers 16:9-10, what specific privileges had God already given to Korah and the Levites, and what additional position were they seeking?

3. How did Dathan and Abiram describe Egypt in Numbers 16:13, and what accusations did they make against Moses in verses 13-14?

4. What happened to Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their households according to Numbers 16:31-35, and what happened to the 250 men who offered incense?

5. In Numbers 16:46-48, what did Aaron do when the plague broke out among the congregation, and what was the result of his actions?

6. According to Numbers 17:8, what happened to Aaron's staff overnight, and what was the purpose of this sign according to verse 10?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Moses say in Numbers 16:11 that Korah and his company have "gathered together against the Lord" rather than simply against Aaron? What does this reveal about the true nature of their rebellion?

2. How does the contrast between Dathan and Abiram's description of Egypt as "a land flowing with milk and honey" (16:13) and their actual experience of slavery there illustrate the spiritual blindness that comes from a covetous heart?

3. What is the significance of Aaron standing "between the dead and the living" (Numbers 16:48) to stop the plague? How does this action demonstrate his unique role as high priest?

4. Why did God use multiple signs—the earth swallowing the rebels, fire consuming the 250, the bronze censers on the altar, and Aaron's budding staff—to confirm His choice of Aaron? What does this reveal about God's patience with Israel?

5. How does Israel's cry in Numbers 17:12-13, "We perish! We are undone! Everyone who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord shall die!" represent both a problem and a necessary realization for approaching a holy God?

Application Questions

1. The sermon noted that "when you covet, your problem is not with the people who have what you want—your problem is with the God of all creation who's given you what you have." What role or responsibility has God given you that you may be tempted to view as insufficient? How can you cultivate gratitude for it this week?

2. Dathan and Abiram saw themselves as victims rather than offenders, blaming Moses for their own consequences. In what area of your life are you tempted to blame others or circumstances rather than acknowledging your own responsibility before God?

3. The sermon warned that "the greatest threat to our church's unity today is not from the outside—it is from the inside." What specific steps can you take to guard against a critical or divisive spirit toward your church's leaders and fellow members?

4. Moses responded to his accusers by taking his anger to the Lord in prayer rather than retaliating. When you face unfair criticism or opposition, what would it look like for you to follow Moses' example this week?

5. Aaron ran into the midst of the dying congregation to make atonement for them, even though they had just accused him of wrongdoing. How does Christ's greater sacrifice for you while you were His enemy motivate you to serve or pray for someone who has wronged you?

Additional Bible Reading

1. Leviticus 10:1-7 — This passage recounts Nadab and Abihu's death for offering unauthorized fire, demonstrating the same principle that God determines who may approach Him and how.

2. Hebrews 5:1-10 — This passage explains how Jesus, like Aaron, was appointed by God as high priest, but serves as a superior and eternal mediator between God and humanity.

3. Jude 1:5-16 — Jude explicitly references Korah's rebellion as a warning against those who reject authority and follow their own ungodly passions within the church.

4. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 — Paul uses Israel's wilderness rebellion as a warning to the church, showing how these Old Testament events serve as examples for believers today.

5. Romans 5:6-11 — This passage explains how Christ died for us while we were still sinners and enemies of God, fulfilling what Aaron's atonement foreshadowed.

Sermon Main Topics

I. Opening Illustration: Varied Responses to Truth

II. God's Requirement for Holiness Provokes Sinners to Rebel (Numbers 16:1-15)

III. God's Requirement for Holiness Invokes God's Justice (Numbers 16:16-40)

IV. God's Requirement for Holiness Compels God's Servant to Atone for Sin (Numbers 16:41-17:13)

V. The Gospel Answer: Christ Drew Near to Us

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Detailed Sermon Outline

How would you respond to this statement? Chick-fil-A fries are overrated. And to be very clear, I am not making this statement. This is a statement a pastor on Twitter recently made. And I, for one, was offended.

Didn't really know how to respond. Should I weep? Should I be enraged? Or should I settle for an imprecatory prayer against this man?

He'd gone too far. How can someone have such a bad take about something that's obviously the standard of excellence?

Now we can get flustered by people's opinions about subjective things, right? But what about things that aren't subjective? What about things that are more objective and clear? Are you ever surprised by how the truth can draw such varied responses?

How can something so obviously and objectively clear be debated as such? And again, not about things that are trivial, not about things that are about taste or aesthetic, but things more serious, matters more serious, even matters of life and death. Take, for example, the issue of when does a life begin to have value and when does it cease to have value? The answer to us today seems obvious, and yet something like the value of life stirs up a lot of opinions and a lot of controversy in our own day. And if the issue of the value of life, if that statement that life has value from conception to final breath is polarizing, How much more the statement that God has a standard for all of us to live by.

And those who fail to do so deserve his judgment. Now many of us may not be surprised, as we should be, that our culture in our time balks at this statement. But what about when Israel was journeying toward the Promised Land? How did they respond to that statement? How did they respond to God's standard for holiness?

Well, the answer to that question is found in our passage this morning. So if you have your Bible, I invite you to go ahead and grab them and turn to Numbers chapter 16. Numbers chapter 16, we'll see 16 and 17 today is what we're covering. If you have a red Bible beside you, it's on page 124. Page 124.

And in our passage this morning, we're going to see three responses that God's requirement for holiness brings about. See, three responses to God's requirement for holiness. The first is this, God's requirement for holiness provokes sinners to rebel. Chapter 16, verses 1 through 15. The second thing we'll see is that God's requirement for holiness invokes God's justice.

That's chapter 16, verses 16 through 40. And the last thing we're going to see is that God's requirement for holiness compels God's servant to atone for sin. So, three things. God's requirement for holiness provokes sinners to rebel. It invokes God's justice for sin.

And it compels God's servant to atone for sin. Let's look at our first point. God's requirement for holiness provokes sinners to rebel. We're going to read verses 1 through 15 of chapter 16 now. Let's look at your Bibles.

Let's read.

Moses, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes this: Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Daathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with the number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men, They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too far. For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?

When Moses heard it, he fell on his face. And he said to Korah and all his company, In the morning, the Lord will show who is his and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses, he will bring near to him. Take censers, Korah and all his company, put fire in them, put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the Holy One. You have gone too far, sons of Levi.

And Moses said to Korah, Hear now, you sons of Levi, is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel had separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, and that he's brought you near to him and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you. And would you seek the priesthood also?

Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron, that you grumble against him? And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they said, We will not come up. Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of the land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? That you must also make yourself a prince over us?

Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up. And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.

Let's sit back and give us some clarity on where we are to kind of set the stage for Numbers. We see in the book of Exodus that God redeems His people. He hears the cry of His people. He redeems them out of bondage and slavery. He leads them to Mount Sinai.

For about a year, He gives them the law and the instructions for how they are to live and worship Him in the land. We saw early on in Numbers 10:10, the people finally leave Sinai. They are headed to the Promised Land. And yet we see it was a rough journey. They rebelled, they grumbled against the Lord, they spoke against God, and finally the Lord leads them in His mercy to the edge of the Promised Land in Numbers 13 and 14.

Eager and willing to give them the land, but as we saw last week, a horrific scene takes place. The people deny and reject the Lord. They chose to be comfortable in their unbelief instead of walking in faith towards the Lord. And so God brought judgment against the people. And he promised that all those in that generation who rebelled against him would not enter the land.

They would die in the wilderness. Their children would suffer for their faithlessness for 40 years. And so we see from the rest of Numbers 14 to Numbers 36 that Israel wanders for about 30 years in the wilderness. So that's where we are right now. We don't know how much time has elapsed after the people rebelled against God, but we see in Numbers 15, you can flip over and see in Numbers 15, that the Lord finally speaks up again.

And look at the kindness of God. After these people reject Him and turn from Him, look what the Lord says. In chapter 15 of verse 2. It says, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land, you are to inhabit, which I am giving you. What a kindness of the Lord to say, though you are faithless, I am faithful and I will deliver on my promises.

The rest of chapter 15 is simply Lord giving them laws for how they're going to live in the land. But I want you to notice something, to give us fuller context for our passage today. At the end of Numbers 15:37-41, God gives them a command to place tassels on their garments. What was the point? Well, they were supposed to have these tassels to look and remember.

See this? Verse 39. Look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, to not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments and be holy, to your God. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God.

I am the Lord your God. So the Lord was giving them these tassels as a reminder, as a kindness to them to be a sign to say, I have brought you out of the land of Egypt to be distinct from all the other peoples of the earth to be holy unto me. I am holy and therefore you are to be like me. And even in God's kindness, of giving them more signs, of being more patient, you would assume that the people would turn from their sins and trust in God. But shortly after this, we see that another rebellion is ignited.

It's difficult to contain the flames of a rebellious heart. That's what we see here with Korah in Numbers 16. We see at the very beginning, after God is the one who's commanded them from Moses to be holy, We see that these four men arise, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On. Not only them, but they've rallied 250 chiefs of the congregation to confront Moses and Aaron on their faulty leadership and their instructions. Notice in verse 2 that Moses writes that these men were not ordinary men.

They were well-known men. They were popular. They were influential with the people. However, what we'll see later is this. Your status in the eyes of the world means nothing before a holy God.

God will bring judgment against those who oppose Him. What is at the heart of their complaint? They say, the people are holy, Moses and Aaron, you are wrong. The Lord is in their midst. Moses, though, is a seasoned veteran, and he sees right through what's actually happening here.

This isn't about holiness at all. This is another covetous craving for power and influence. Korah wants Aaron's job. He believes that he and these men are just as holy and just as godly to approach God and represent the people to God. That's what he has in his own mind.

At least that's what Moses says in his response. He sees right through it. But the interesting thing is, yes, they had been set apart to be Levites. You can see kind of the role in Numbers 3 and Numbers 8. But how were they sanctified before the Lord?

Was it by their own works? No, it was by Aaron's. We see in Numbers 8:21, Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement to cleanse them before the Lord. The only reason these men had access to the temple, to the tabernacle, to the tent, was because Aaron had made atonement for their sins. I mean, this is basically like your boss has hired you and given you the job, you're excited to work for him, and the next week you sit in his office chair and say, this is mine.

That's functionally what they're doing. Moses had, or Aaron had gotten them to the place where they were to serve the Lord in the tent, in the tabernacle, and now they've turned their backs against him. And so in this, Moses offers a contest in verse 5 through 7. He says, Tomorrow morning, be near the tent of meeting and bring a censer with incense. Now, a censer is basically this kind of canister with chains that are attached to it, where you put the fire and the incense and wave it back and forth.

And so the smoke and the aroma would permeate the tabernacle. It's to remind them of the sweetness of God's love and grace toward them. So Moses says, Go before the tent of meeting tomorrow. We'll have this contest. And who will decide the winner?

It says in verse 7, the Lord will decide who is his. Moses rebukes these men and confronts their greedy and envious and covetous hearts. He says, Is it not enough? You can see down in chapter 16, verse 9, Is it not enough for you? Is it too small a thing for you that the Lord has set you apart to serve in the congregation?

Would you seek the priesthood also? These Levites had been entrusted with great responsibility to serve in their tabernacle, to set up and tear down the tent when Israel moved, and to serve and meet the needs of the people. But yet, for them, they could find better things to do than being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. They had better things they wanted to do because power was more appealing than service. They wanted the prestige that came with Aaron's job.

They wanted the power and influence that came with Aaron and Moses' responsibility. We need to see this today, that when you covet, your problem is not with the people who have what you want. Your problem is with the God of all creation who's given you what you have. I'm going to say that again. When you covet in your heart what other people have, your problem really isn't with those people.

Your problem is with the God of all creation who's given you what you have. Covetousness is really about a desire to not submit to God's authority any longer, to be your own authority. And so here we see these men, they've been taken captive by their own passions. We need to know that today. Peter tells us that.

That our passions seek to wage war against our soul, to turn us away from following the living God. And these men had waved the white flag. They were being held captive by their own passions. They were discontent with what God had given them to do. They did not want to serve the Lord in this way, and they had other desires for themselves.

God's standard for holiness had revealed their greedy hearts. Brothers and sisters, what is God's standard for holiness revealed about your heart and your passions? What has God exposed to you in your own heart and own passions as you read the Word of God and hear the Word of God? Are you eager and willing to acknowledge that you're unholy and need to submit to the Word of the Lord? Or do you object to God's Word and make excuses Brothers and sisters, don't be surprised when the indwelling sin within you recoils at the word of God and seeks to wage war against your soul as it did with these brothers here, these men here.

We see her at the heart of all rebellion. God exposes it with his word. At the heart of all covetousness is a thirst for power and a disregard for authority. The heart of all rebellion is a disregard for authority. They wanted to be an authority unto themselves, and they had enough of Moses and Aaron, and they thought that they could do a better job leading the nation.

We see this most clearly in verses 12-15 with the Byrom and Dathan. If you look down there now and see it, Moses goes to these men, maybe trying to make peace with them, to reason with them, and they will not come up. Look how deceived these men are. In verse 13, the very beginning, they say, you, took us out of the land flowing with milk and honey. They think Egypt, they are so deceived by their covetous hearts, they think Egypt was the land flowing with milk and honey.

That's not how Exodus starts. Exodus starts was during those days the king of Egypt died and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Land of Egypt was not a land flowing with milk and honey, but slavery and bondage. A covetous heart leads us to believe that freedom, to see freedom as bondage and bondage as freedom. These men were blinded by their own covetous hearts.

Then they say, Moses, you make yourself prince over us. In verse 13, be there. Moses didn't seek the office that he had. He was entrusted by God with the role that he had. The next they say, you have failed to give us the land of milk and honey.

But you took us out of one, you failed to give us another one. How had Moses failed? No, the people had rebelled. Men like Abiram and Dathan, they are the reason that they are not entering into the land. They are the reason why they are suffering in the wilderness.

A rebellious and covetous heart always sees itself as the victim and never the offender. That's exactly what happens here. Then they ask a question, Will you put out the eyes of these men? This is just a simple phrase saying, Moses, will you continue to deceive the people? They say, Moses, we are onto you.

We know that you have fleeced the sheep, and we've come to lead these people out of bondage. As you have enslaved them with your own leadership. God's Word through Moses had simply revealed that these men were spiritually blind, exposed their covetous hearts, and their own desires for position and prestige. Brothers and sisters, since the serpent led a mutiny in the garden, and Adam and Eve joined his cause, the world, the flesh, the devil continue to seek to upend God's authority in the world. It's exactly what is happening here.

They are blinded by their own sinful passions. They trust in themselves more than they trust the Word of God. But notice where the threat came from. Notice where the mutiny came from. It wasn't like the Canaanites and the Amalekites snuck into Israel and was trying to take over to upend this nation.

No, the threat came from within. I think this is why, or one of the many reasons why the Apostle Paul in Acts 20 warns the Ephesians elders in saying, Be watchful, for fierce wolves will come Come in even among yourselves, from among yourselves, and seek to devour and take away the sheep. Church, this is a reminder for us, the greatest threat to our church's unity today is not from the outside, it is from the inside. That's why we need to watch out for one another to make sure that none of us are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Because the way in which Satan will seek to undo our church is through our own members and through our own leadership.

Continue to pray for the unity of our church that we would not be led astray by covetous passions and a rebellious spirit. Notice how Moses responds here. Look down at your Bible after he's finished speaking with DaThan and Abiram. Verse 15 says, and Moses was very angry. And what did Moses do with his anger?

Did he yell and berate them? Did he tweet about it? Did he fire off a passive-aggressive text message? What does Moses do with his anger? He takes it to the Lord in prayer.

Meek Moses might be slow to defend himself before his accusers, but he's quick to take his anger to the Lord in prayer. So we see here with Moses, he goes to the Lord. He pleads with the Lord. He says, I have done no wrong. I have not misled these people.

Moses simply found that the Lord would be his refuge, his ever-present help in times of trouble. And that's why he goes to the Lord in prayer. Moses had done no wrong. And Moses shows us here that one of our greatest friends and allies in the midst of opposition is a clean conscience. Because Moses could go to the Lord in prayer and say, I have done no wrong.

Lord, you can be my defender, for I've done nothing wrong other than teach them your word and to submit to your authority.

God's Word had exposed a rebellious and covetous heart in these men. They had rejected the truth about God and had exchanged it for a lie. So instead of submitting, they rebel. Well, another response that we see is not only that sinners rebel to the Word of God, but because they rebel, God's justice is invoked. That's my point, second point.

We're going to look at this and see this in verses 16 through 40 of chapter 16. Let's look there now.

I'm going to read this whole section and then we'll go back and explain what's going on.

Verse 16, and Moses said to Korah, Be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they and Aaron, tomorrow. Let every one of you take censers and put incense on it. Every one of you bring before the Lord his censer. 250 censers, you also and Aaron, each his censer. So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation. And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell on their faces and said, 'O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and will you be angry with all the congregation?' and the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Say to the congregation, 'Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.' Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation saying, 'Depart please from the tents of these wicked men.

Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.' so they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons and their little ones. And Moses said, 'Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been on my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive to Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the Lord.

And as soon as he had finished speaking, all these words, the ground underneath them split apart, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, lest the earth swallow us up and fire came out from the Lord and consumed 550 men offering the incense. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy.

For the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. For they have offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus shall be a sign to the people of Israel. So Eleazar, the priest, took the bronze censers which those who were burned and offered, and they were hammered out as covering for the altar, to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider who is not of the descendants of Aaron should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company, as the Lord said to him through Moses. This is a lot of reading, so I'm going to go back and explain.

So Moses then again repeats his instructions for the showdown, for the duel that is about to take place. He simply says, Look, you and your men show up with your sisters tomorrow at the tent of meeting, just us. So just Moses, just Aaron, just Korah, and these other men, and the 250. But notice what happens. It says they assembled all the congregation.

All the congregation had assembled with Korah. The sheep had been fleeced by a wolf and followed them into their dens. Brothers and sisters, this is a brief word of encouragement. If there is someone who is seeking to turn you away or turn you against those people who've taught you the word of God and told you the truth throughout your life, run away from those people. Don't listen to them.

Run away. They are not for you. Just like Korah was not for the sheep of Israel. He was using them to achieve his own ends. He's not concerned about their good.

He was concerned about His own glory. And it says this as it does throughout numbers that the glory of the Lord appeared to all. The judge had come. We see as often is the case, the Lord quickly says to get away that He is about to consume them in a moment. And Moses and Aaron both fall on their faces and make an intercession.

The crowd that He's the God of all flesh, that He should not harm them, that to be merciful to them. And did you notice though, that it wasn't just Moses making the intercession? It was Aaron along with him. This is the same Aaron that we saw a few weeks ago who was opposing Moses' leadership. And now these very people are opposing his leadership.

And you notice what Aaron does? He now models the meekness of Moses and he prays for those who persecute him. It's a picture of Moses, and he's now of meekness, and he now embodies it along with Moses. The Lord accepts their intercession. He tells Aaron and Moses to tell the rest of the people to leave their tents, to run away, lest they be swept away in their sins.

The people flee from the dwelling places. And then Moses just says, Here's the stipulation. Here's the duel that's going to happen. If these men die a natural death, then you know that I've been speaking on my own accord, and I've misled this whole people. However, if the Lord does something new, like open the earth, they are all swallowed up and the earth closes in over them, then you will know that they're not against me.

They have despised the Lord. This is basically a foreshadowing in some ways of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. First Kings 18. And what happens next, it says in verse 31, As soon as Moses stopped speaking, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up and all the people with them and all their belongings, and it closed in over them. This was not a natural phenomenon that happened.

This is a mighty act of God to bring judgment upon those who had rebelled against Him and His people. And it wasn't just Dathan and Korah and Abiram who died. It was the 250 men. You notice that they were caught on fire. They died by fire from the Lord.

And they experienced the same fate that Nadab and Abihu did in Leviticus 10 for offering unauthorized fire. And what is the Lord saying in all of this? Who is the holy one in all of this? It is the Lord their God. He is the holy one.

He is the one who will choose. He will come and speak on behalf of the people to him. The message he's sending here is the same exact message he sent in Leviticus 10 when he says, among those who are near me, I will be sanctified. And before all people, I will be glorified. The Lord is saying, I am the Holy One.

There is none like me. I am majestic in glory and majesty and holiness and power. This is exactly what we sang earlier when we sang, Holy, holy, holy. Though the darkness hide thee, though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see, only thou are holy. There is none beside thee.

Perfect in power and love and purity. God here in this judgment is vindicating His own holiness. I imagine for those here who aren't Christians that you've not really thought much about God's holiness and what that means. Something I would encourage you to do is just take your bulletin that you have, turn to page seven, and maybe read that every day this week. Meditate on what it might mean that God is holy.

And try to discern if this God is truly holy, what are the implications for your life? Come back next week and talk to one of the pastors or one of our members at the door. We'd love to share more about what it means for God to be holy and what that means for you and for your life. We see here that because God is holy, he alone determines who can approach him and he determines the terms in which they can approach him. How we draw near and worship and approach God is not up to us.

It is completely up to him. It's like this, many of you work in government, different governing jobs. Many of you are interns this summer, working in the House or the Senate. But does that mean, because you've given the credentials to get there, does that mean you can just walk into any building in the federal government that you want to? Could you tomorrow just say, I'm just going to go to the White House and just hang out and see what's going on with Joe?

Like, could you do that? No, because you have to be given certain credentials to gain that kind of access. And in that same way, we do not get to approach God on our own terms. God speaks to us, He guides us for how we can approach Him. And that is His mercy towards us as it is these people.

These men disobeyed God's rules. They led an insurrection and a rebellion and they were tried for treason. Moses warns the people, Get away from them and do not be taken away in their sins. Church, are you tempted in any way to participate in the sins of others? In your work, your community, with your friends?

I think this should be a reminder to us to run and flee from joining in or condoning the sins of others. Don't wink at what God will punish in hell for all eternity. Run from it. Not only is God vindicating His own holiness, God vindicates His servants Moses and Aaron. What is ultimately happening here in Numbers 16-18, God is further confirming and establishing the Aaronic priesthood.

He's further showing what it means for Aaron to go to the Lord on behalf of the people. That's why when we see here after these 250 died in verses 36-40, the Lord tells Moses, Take those censors of the men who died and make them into these plates to be a reminder on the altar to them. We see it in verse 40, the reason why God does this, to be a reminder to all the people of Israel so that no outsider who is not of the descendants of Aaron should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company. Aaron alone would represent the people before the Lord. He is the holy one who God had chosen.

He would be the one to represent the people. The rest were unholy. That's what these bronze plates are reminders of. You are unholy. I determine the terms on which you can approach me.

Recently, someone asked me, have you enjoyed preaching numbers? And I have. It's been a real joy. I'm really thankful y'all would listen to me do this for the last few weeks. But it's been a joy, but it's actually been very hard to preach because it feels like I'm preaching the same sermon every single week.

The people rebel, Moses makes intercession, and God brings judgment. It's this kind of sick cycle over and over again. And yet, there is a reason the Lord wants us to see this. Because on our journey towards heaven, many of us will be tempted to reject the Lord. Many of us will be tempted to go after the fleeting pleasures of sin, to pursue our former lives, to be deceived, to think that slavery and bondage to sin is far better than following the Lord.

Some of us will be tempted to desert the Lord and this assembly altogether for the fleeting pleasures of this life. And not wait for the Lord and the glory that will be revealed at the day of Christ Jesus. If that is you today, I want you to remember more than anything in these sermons this: Follow the Lord in His ways and live. Reject the Lord and turn from Him and experience His judgment. That is the message of numbers.

Hear the word of the Lord, respond to the word of the Lord, walk in His ways, and live. Reject Him and turn from Him and experience His good and His right Judgment. This text numbers in many ways are like those bronze plates on the altar. They've become holy to remind us of who we are. And it's really God's mercy toward us to turn from sin and to trust in him.

That's the point of these passages, ultimately. God's standard for holiness provokes these rebels to turn from the Lord and therefore provokes his good and right justice against their sin. And the last thing we'll see is that God's standard for holiness compels His servant to atone for sin. God's standard for holiness compels His servant to atone for sin. We'll see this in my final points.

We'll see this in verses 40 through the rest of 17. Let's look there now.

Again, I'm going to read this whole section. We'll stop and explain after.

But on the next day, all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, you, have killed the people of the Lord. When the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, and the Lord spoke to Moses saying, Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell on their faces.

And Moses said to Aaron, Take your censer, put fire on it from off the altar, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them, for the wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun. So Aaron took it, as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly, and behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living.

And the plague was stopped.

Now those who died in the plague were 14,700. Beside those who died in the affair of Korah. And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting when the plague was stopped. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the people of Israel and get from them staves, one for each father's house, from all their chiefs according to their father's house. 12 staves.

Write each man's name on his staff. Write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi, for there shall be one staff for the head of each father's house. Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the where I meet with you. And the staff of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will make to cease for me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.

Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and all their chiefs gave them staves, one for each chief according to the father's house, 12 staves. And the staff of Aaron was among their staves. And Moses deposited the staves before the Lord in the tent of testimony. On the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms. It bore ripe almonds.

Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel, and they looked, and each man took his staff. And the Lord said to Moses, Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony to keep as a sign for the rebels. That you may make an end of their grumbling against me, lest they die. Thus did Moses as the Lord commanded him. So he did.

And the people of Israel said to Moses, Behold, we perish. We are undone. We are all undone. Everyone who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord shall die. Are we all to perish?

God's just judgment had come down to those who led the insurrection against God and His servants. And you would assume at this point in Israel's history that they had seen enough. You would assume that what they would do next is go to their dwelling places and tremble in fear after they saw the earth swallow up Korah and the rebellion. That's not what happens here at all. It says in verse 41, look down there now, chapter 16, it says, but on the next day, not a year, not five years, not ten years, the very next day, after God had brought judgment against the rebellion, they grumble against Moses and Aaron and say, you, to have killed the people of Israel.

Their unbelief blinds them from seeing the truth yet again.

What else do these people need to see to believe? I don't know about you, but as I read this this week, I was reminded of Luke 16. You know the story of the rich man and Lazarus? The rich man is suffering in Hades for his sin. He cries out to Abraham to help him.

Abraham can't help him. He says, well, just send someone back to my family and let them know so they don't experience this torment. And do you remember how Abraham responds? Abraham says, if they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. We see that here with Israel.

If they don't listen to God's Word, it doesn't matter who the earth swallows up or spits up. They will not believe. The problem is not with their eyes, it is with their hearts. They have no ears to hear. They need the Spirit of God.

That's their problem. And church, each day that God gives us life, we should rejoice in God's mercy toward each one of us. That we have eyes to see and ears to hear. And this was not our own doing. It was not our own ability.

It was not our own logic and reason that led us to the truth. If it had not been for the Lord, where would you be today? I know where I would be. Dead in my trespasses and sins. But God is in His mercy towards me gave me spiritual sight to see.

We should rejoice at God's kindness towards us in opening our eyes to give us spiritual sight. But here, Israel, the cycle starts again. They rebel, they grumble against God, but something different happens this time that we've not seen yet. Moses and Aaron, they do go to the Lord, and the Lord says, Get away from the people, but there is no intercessory prayer this time. Why?

We see in verse 46 that the judgment of God has already gone out. Moses calls to Aaron to go get the censer with incense and quickly take it to the congregation to make atonement for their sin, for the wrath of God has been unleashed on this rebellious people. Moses or Aaron runs and he puts himself between the living and the dead and the plague was stopped. But not all would be spared. In this moment, almost 15,000 people died.

Their grumblings had led them to their graves. They had rejected the Lord, and they experienced the good and right judgment that they had deserved.

This is the Lord further confirming to the people that they are unholy and that He alone is righteous and holy. And His servant Aaron was His chosen one to represent Him to the people, and he alone could atone for sin. That's the whole point of chapter 17. The whole point is God is trying to, again, be merciful to this rebellious people. He's trying to give them one more sign so they might believe and not turn away from the people again or turn away from the Lord again.

So he tells Moses, take the staffs of the chiefs of the 12 tribes of Israel. Take them into the tent, into the Tabernacle. And the next morning, I will bring Sprouts forth on the staff of the man that I choose. He can come forth before me. Moses submits to the word of the Lord.

He does it. And the next day, Aaron from the house of Levi, his staff had sprouted and put forth buds and produced almonds. Now, why almonds? Because their blossoms are extremely white. They are pure to represent that Aaron and his descendants alone could go in before the Lord on behalf of the people.

God is saying, I am holy, and he who draws near to me must be holy as well. God had given them another sign in His mercy so they would not grumble against Him, lest they die. Moses brings out the staff and we see, for whatever reason here, this convinces the people. Look at verse 12 and 13. You see the people's response of chapter 17.

It says, and the people of Israel said to Moses, 'Behold, we perish. We are undone. We are all undone. Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord shall die. Are we all to perish?

Through this mighty act of God, they finally realize they are sinful and unholy and they deserve death for their sins. They ask good questions, don't they? How do a sinful people draw near to a holy God. Maybe you're here today and you're not a Christian, but you feel the weight and the sense of your own guilt. You see that you have sinned against God in thought and word and deed, and you realize through this passage that God is holy and there is no way on your own that you can approach him.

And so you were here like Israel today asking that question. Who can draw near to God and not die? Well, since Genesis chapter 3, that is the question the Bible is seeking to answer. How do we, a sinful people, be reunited with God again? Throughout the Bible, God provides temporary solutions with Aaron and Moses, but they're simply temporary.

Aaron, just a few chapters later, we'll see he dies. He would be of no help anymore. We see not later after that that Moses, the leader of the people, he would die. These temporary solutions were but signs of something greater that would come. Moses and Aaron could not fix the people's greatest problem, and they cannot fix our greatest problem today.

So what's the answer? What does the Bible hold out? What's a glorious answer? You and I could never draw near to God. So he drew near to us.

He, in his love for sinners and his promises that he would fulfill, took on human flesh to draw near to us. He became the person of Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, yet without sin, to live the perfect life, to live up to God's perfect standard of holiness, which none of us could live up to. He did it. He lived that perfect life and God put him forth as a propitiation for our sins. What does that mean?

It means that Jesus became our substitute. It means that Jesus appeased, assuaged, satisfied God's wrath for the sins of the people. He took the weight of hell and God's wrath upon the cross for the sins of the people.

This is what Jesus did for His people. We could not draw near to God, so He drew near to us. He fulfilled the righteous requirement for the law. You notice that Korah, for his rebellion, was swallowed up by death. Because of our sins, that's what we deserve.

But praise be to God that Jesus was swallowed up by death so that death would be swallowed up forever. Did you notice that the plague went out and there was nothing that the people could do to stop God's wrath? But Jesus came so that we would not experience God's wrath. He was poured out. He was afflicted, smitten, crushed by God so that God's people could draw near to Him again.

And why would He do it? Why would He experience such anguish? Isaiah 53:11 tells us, out of the anguish of his soul, he would see and be satisfied. What would satisfy Jesus' soul in the midst of his anguish? He would see us.

He would see a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who would gather around the throne to praise him and worship him for all eternity. That's why Jesus would take such a punishment for us, to draw us near to God again.

Jesus took the sin, took the punishment that we deserve so that our congregation of believers could live. This is the gospel. This is what Christianity has to say. This is the truth of how we as sinful people who deserve God's good and right judgment can draw near to God again. He is the true and better Moses and Aaron.

They were but signs. He is the fulfillment. This is what we have to offer. So if you're here and you're not a Christian, the way in which you draw near to God is only through Jesus. You can work as hard as you want.

Your works will fail you. But Christ's works never will. Trust in him and find peace and rest for your souls. So for the Christians among us today, When you're tempted to grumble, let this truth of the gospel be the medicine for your soul. Consider that Jesus, the Messiah who for sinners slain, came and stood in your place, took the wrath of God, He took the curse, He became a curse for you so that you'd be delivered from the curse of sin and death once and for all, so that you could be reconciled to God not only now but for all.

Eternity.

Christ's work is finished. He's atoned for the sins of the people. All we need to do is trust him and wait for him while we journey towards heaven.

So are you surprised by how the truth can draw such varied responses? If something is so obviously clear, shouldn't everyone be able to see it? Though we live in a beautiful world, it is still broken. The earth we live in every day is a reminder that the truth about God has been exchanged for a lie. The natural man does not see the truth of God because he is blind to the truth of God.

Even we as believers, we see the truth, we see it dimly. But the day is coming. When the glory of the Lord will appear to all people. That great and awful day of the Lord when Jesus descends and He summons the earth to give back all those who it had swallowed up. And on that day there will be no varied opinions about the truth.

There will be no insurrection. There will be no rebellion. For all will see the truth and bow before Him. And all that day, those who did not pursue the fleeting pleasures of sin, those who did not rebel against the Lord, yet waited patiently on Jesus time and time again, when sin, when the burden of sin and suffering was heavy, they continued to trust Him. Those who waited on Jesus will with one voice shout, Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for His judgments are true and just. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we come before you only in the name of Jesus. There is no other name that men can be saved. Other than the name of Jesus. Father, we praise you that in your kindness, in your love, for your own glory and for sinners, that you would put forth your son for the sake of your people. That you would make a way in which we could draw near to you again.

Oh, Father, we pray there'd be any among us today whose lost in rebellion, that they would turn towards you. We pray if there'd be any among us who were thinking about turning from you, that they would hear this warning and trust and follow in your ways and live. Oh God, keep us to the end. And Lord Jesus, return soon. We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.