The history of the Old Testament methodiz'd according to the order and series of time wherein the several things therein mentioned were transacted ... to which is annex'd a Short history of the Jewish affairs from the end of the Old Testament to the birth of our Saviour : and a map also added of Canaan and the adjacent countries ... / by Samuel Cradock ...

SECT. LXIII.

COrah, Dathan and Abiram, and On with 250 others of prime note and autho∣rity among the Israelites, rise up now against Moses and Aaron, envying Moses the Government, and Aaron the Priesthood.

Corah it seems was the Ringleader, and first Mover of this Sedition, which is there∣fore called the gain-saying of Corah, Jude v. 11. & 23. He was a Levite, and Cosin-German to Moses and Aaron. For Amram the Father of Moses and Aaron and Izhar the Father of this Corah were Brothers, the Sons of Kohath, Exod. 6.18. The

Jewish Writers say, That this Corah had long since taken offence that Elizaphan was by Moses preferred to be Prince of the Families of the Kohathites, see Numb. 3.30. whereas Elizaphan was descended of the youngest Brother Ʋzziel, and He was of Izhar who was elder than he: which grudge, though it lay buried for a time in his breast, yet now it brake forth, and nothing less than the Priesthood will content him and his Abettors. As for Dathan, Abiram and On they were all descended from Reuben, and therefore possibly under the pretence of Reuben's Birthright, they were the more easily drawn to oppose Moses, as supposing that the Government belonged to them, and not to him. These Conspirators now come to Moses and Aaron, and in an high and proud manner tell them, They took too much upon them, seeing all the Congregation were holy, and therefore might approach to God, and offer their own Sacrifices themselves, as well as they; and they saw no reason that the Priesthood should be tied to Aron's Posterity only. Then the Reubenites, under pretense of Reuben's Birthright, seeking (as 'tis probable) to wrest the Supream Magistracy from Moses to themselves; they also Charge both Moses and Aaron for taking too much upon them, and ask them, Wherefore they lifted themselves above the Congregation? Moses at this carriage of theirs was exceedingly troubled, and withdrawing himself (as it seems) into privacy, He fell down on his face before the Lord in prayer, seeking direction from Him what he should do on this important occasion, and there it was revealed to him what he should say unto Corah and his Accomplices. Moses accordingly coming out to them, tells them, That on the morrow God would decide this Controversie, and shew who were His, and who were the Men that He had separated to the Priests Office, and would allow to come near, and to minister unto him. He bids them therefore to come to morrow with their Censers, and to put fire in them, and Incense upon them, and come with them before the Lord (seeing they thought themselves so fit for the Priesthood) and then they should soon see who it was that God had chosen to be a Priest(u) unto him, by accepting his Incense, and they should know to their Cost that not He and Aaron, but that they (the Sons of Levi) had taken too much upon them, in aspiring to the Priesthood. What (says he) seems it a small thing to you, Ye Children of Levi, that God hath separated you from the rest of the people of Israel, to bring you near to Himself to do the Service of the Tabernacle, as Assistants to the Priests, to stand before the Con∣gregation to minister for them; that is, to do in their name and stead what they them∣selves were otherwise bound to have done in the Service of God? What! is all this so small a thing in your eyes, that it will not content you, but you must have the Priesthood also? And what is Aaron (I pray you) and what hath he done, or what hath he assum'd to himself that the Lord hath not freely given him? Therefore if you murmur against him, you murmur against God himself. See Exod. 16.7, 8. After this first attempt of theirs was over, it seems, Moses sent for Dathan and Abi∣ram, possibly thinking to deal with them privately, and to perswade them to desist from this wicked undertaking. But they do not only refuse to come, but return him a bitter and scornful answer. They scoff at his promise of bringing them into a Land flowing with Milk and Honey, and giving them Fields and Vineyards. They tell him, He had indeed brought them out of such a Land as did really flow with Milk and Honey (which was Egypt) and had brought them into a dry and barren Wilderness, and here He had made himself a Prince and a Ruler over them. And did he now think to put out their eyes, and the eyes of those that joyned with them in this Complaint, that they should not see and perceive the wrongs and injuries he had done them? Moses at this was very wroth, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I pray thee, O Lord, accept not the Incense which these wicked Conspirators shall offer before thee to morrow; but declare by thy refusing of it, that thou disallowest this their rebellion. As for me, thou knowest I have not usurped Authority over them; neither have I abused my Authority in the least by doing them any manner of wrong. I have not taken the vilest Beast, no not so much as an Asse from any of them, neither can they justly Charge me with any injury I have done them.

On the next morning Corah having gathered together not only his 250 Accom∣plices, but the people in general to be Spectators of the business in hand, (perswading them 'tis like that God would own their Cause, and give Judgment on their side) and these 250 having (as it should seem) got such Consers as they could provide, since the time Moses had appointed this way for the deciding of this Controversie,

they came with them to the door of the Priests Court, whither the people used to bring their Sacrifices. 'Tis true the appointed place for the Priests to burn Incense was within the Tabernacle, at the Altar of Incense; but this was an extraordinary occasion, and a means enjoyned for the discovery of the Lords will, whither these men or only Aaron and his Sons (as formerly) should enter into the Tabernacle to exe∣cute the Priests Office. Corah having assembled his Confederates, and the generality of the people before the Tabernacle, and not finding Dathan and Abiram there, as it should seem, went to their Tents to talk with them, [see Ch. 26.10.] and pro∣bably from them He went to his own Tent, before Moses and the Elders came to the Tabernacle, as presently they did. In the mean time the 250 Conspirators on the one side, taking fire from the Altar, and putting it into their Censers, and laying Incense thereon, and Aaron (near to whom Moses stood) doing the like on the other, God now signifies his approach, and the actual manifestation of his Presence, by the descending of the Cloud which used to hover over the Tabernacle to the door(x) thereof. And the Lord spake to Moses and Aaron saying, Separate your selves from among this Congreation, that I may consume these Conspirators, and all that joyn with them in a moment. Then Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the Lord, and said, O God, the God of the Spirits of all Flesh, who formest the spirit of man within him, [Zach. 12.1.] and seest and knowest the spirits and hearts of all men, and art able to discern between those that sin obstinately, and those that are only seduced by others, and drawn hither only to see what would be done. Shall one man sin, (viz. Corah the chief Incendiary) and wilt thou be wroth with the whole Congregation? Upon this intercession the Lord was pleased to spare the people that would depart from these Rebells. And then imparting to Moses what He intended to do, commands him to warn the Con∣gregation to get away from the Tents of Corah, Dathan and Abiram. Moses accord∣ingly rose up (many of the Elders of Israel accompanying him) to denounce the Judgment of God against these Conspirators; and he warns the Congregation to de∣part from the Tents of these wicked men, and to get far from them, and to touch nothing of theirs (as judging all that they have execrable and accursed) lest they perish(y) in the Judgment, which was ready to fall upon them for their great Sins and Provo∣cations. The people accordingly did so, and fled from the Tents of these men, but Dathan and Abiram impudently came out, and stood in the doors of their Tents with their Wives and Children, as if they intended to out-face Moses, and scorned the Judgment he threatned against them. Moses then sayed, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me, and hath appointed me to take upon my self the Govern∣ment of this people, and hath conferred the Priesthood on Aaron and his Sons, and that I have not done these things on my own head; If these men die the common and ordi∣nary death of other men, then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the Lord by his Al∣mighty Power do work a new and hitherto-unheard of Miracle, so that the Earth open her mouth and swallow them up quick, then you must needs acknowledge that I am innocent, and that these men have highly provoked the Lord. Moses having made an end of speaking, the Earth immediately opened her mouth and swallowed up these Rebels, and all that appertained to them that were there present. And the same (it seems) happened (and probably at the same time) to Corah and his Family, as appeareth Numb. 26.10. only some of his Children (who as 'tis like joyned not in their Fathers sin, or if they did, soon repented of it, and gave over, and departed from their Fathers Tent, at Moses's warning,) were spared. And of their Race came such as either composed some of the Psalms, or at least were famous Singers in the Temple, and Samuel also the great Prophet and Judge in Israel was of that Race, see 1 Chron. 6.33. to 38. Thus perished the Ringleaders of this Rebellion. All the Israelites that were near them, fled at the Cry of them, fearing lest the Earth should swallow up them also. And as a further addition to the dreadfulness of this Judg∣ment, there came fire out from the Lord and consumed their 250 Confederates, who had offered Incense, and usurped the Priests Office. They are punished with fire, as by fire they had offended, see Levit. 10.2. Moses now by Gods Command ap∣pointeth Eleazar the Son of Aaron to gather up the Censers from among the ashes of the dead bodies of these men that were burnt and consumed, and to scatter the fire that was in them without the Court of the Tabernacle, as shewing that God rejected it and their Service, and abhorred their Sacrifice. And he tells him, That

the Censers of these Sinners against their own Souls were now hallowed,(z) having been presented before the Lord by his Commandment, and he orders him to make broad Plates of them for a covering of the Altar(a) of Burnt-Offerings, which was covered with Plates of Brass before, see Exod. 27.2. And the less need there was of them, the fitter they were to be a sign of Gods Judgment against presumptuous Conspirators, and of his vindicating and clearing the innocency of his faithful Ser∣vants, and to be a Memorial to the Children of Israel, that all Israelites and Levites, excepting Aaron's Sons, are to be reckoned as Strangers in respect of the Priests Office, and may not aspire to it lest they perish, as Corah and his Confederates did. How∣ever the very next morning after those dismal Judgments had been executed, all the Congregation of the people that were inclined to this Faction (whose lives Moses had saved the day before, by praying to the Lord for them,) murmured against Him and Aaron, and peremptorily told them, That they had killed the Lords people. Moses and Aaron being thus injuriously charged, looked up to God, as having no other Refuge or Shelter to fly unto; and immediately behold the Cloud descended upon the Tabernacle, as a sign of the approach and actual manifestation of the glorious Presence of God, and that he intended to speak something unto them. Moses and Aaron presenting themselves before the Lord, the Lord bad them get them up presently from among this rebellious Company, that he might consume them in a moment. But they fell on their faces, and interceeded with the Lord for them. God by his Spirit informs Moses, That he had sent a Plague among them, and directs him what course to take for the stopping of it. Hereupon he calls to Aaron to take his Censer, and to put fire into it from off the Altar, and to put Incense thereon, and to run quickly and make atonement for the people, and to stand between the living and the dead,(b) for he tells him, Wrath was gone out from the Lord, the Plague was begun. And Aaron did as Moses commanded him, yet the Plague ran so swiftly among the people (like fire in a field of Corn) that before Aaron could interpose himself to make atonement [wherein he was a Figure of Christs Intercession] there fell fourteen thousand and seven hundred of those rebellious Murmurers, [see 1 Cor. 10.10.] and then the Plague was stayed, and Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tabernacle, to acquaint him how he had sped, and to return thanks unto the Lord, who had so graciously accepted the work of his hands.

Numb. 16. whole Chapter.

Notes

• (u)

  V. 7. Erit sanctus] i. e. segregatus ad sacerdotium.
• (x)

  See vers. 42. of this Chap. and Ch. 12.5.
• (y)

  V. 26. Lest you be con∣sumed in all their sins] that is, lest you be destroyed in the Judgment that will fall upon them for all their sins; the cause is here put for the effect.
• An un∣doubted evi∣dence of Gods concurrence with the mi∣nistry of Moses, and withall an undoubted as∣surance of the divine truth of Moses's Writ∣ings.
• (z)

  Sanctifica∣ta dicuntur quia ex depu∣tatione Dei ser∣vire deinceps debebant divi∣na gloriae il∣lustrandae.
• (a)

  A parte anteriori alta∣ris ponebantur ut a populo con∣spici possint.
• (b)

  Incense was only to be of∣fered upon the Altar of Incense in the Taber∣nacle, but this was done up∣on an extraor∣dinary occasion, and by an ex∣traordinary warrant of di∣vine Inspira∣tion.