Numbers 16:12-35 / Pride and Fall
📖 Scripture
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come!
13 it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us!
14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”
16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.
17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.”
18 So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly.
20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”
23 Then the Lord said to Moses,
24 “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”
27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
28 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:
29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.
30 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.”
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart
32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions.
33 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.
34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
✅ Scripture Summary
✅ Memory verse
✅ Reflection
The Sign of Godliness (16:12–22)
Moses gives Korah and his followers what they demand; they are to appear before the Lord with censers and incense, along with Aaron. What happens next is an example of godly leadership. When God tells Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the assembly so that He might destroy them, they fall on their faces, pleading for the lives of the very people who opposed them. The humility and love for God’s people demonstrated by Moses and Aaron are in stark contrast to the quarrelsome and rebellious attitude of Korah and his followers. Those who are truly following the Lord are set apart from those who do not by their actions and attitude.
Consider your actions and attitude toward those who disagree with you or openly oppose you. Is there something there that does not agree with what you confess to believe about God?
God’s Will Be Done (16:23–35)
God’s judgment often appears harsh to us. Swallowing up whole families and sending fire to consume others may seem callous. However, it shows the gravity of the people’s rebellion and it sends the message that God is serious about protecting His people. Like a spreading cancer, rebellion against God and those He chooses can destroy an entire community. In His teachings, Jesus warns of careless hired hands and wolves among the sheep of God’s pasture. They are a hindrance to the plans and purposes of God as He seeks to lead His flock to green pastures and quiet waters. When we pray as Jesus taught us, asking for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done, we are acknowledging that God knows and will do what is best for His people’s future.
How is God currently teaching you about submitting to His will and how have you responded? Ask for a humble and teachable heart toward Him.
“Fear, anger, frustration, impatience, resentment, revenge, and hatred for the enemy are only a few of the temptations that can easily make us lose ground and be destroyed by the cares of life.”
– Henry Nouwen
✅ Prayer
✅ Essay
The Dangers of Pride
Proverbs 16:18 warns us that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Being prideful is the opposite of what the Lord calls us to, which is having a heart of humility and an attitude of servanthood. When we are prideful, we think of ourselves as better than others and put the emphasis on our own importance. God’s Word commands the exact opposite: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col. 3:12).
In today’s passage, we see that the Lord dealt severely with those who went against Moses’s leadership—which God appointed. Those who rebelled did so out of selfish ambition, filled with pride and arrogance. Their fate is a poignant warning that God will swiftly deal with those who try to oppose His will with justice and righteous vengeance.
I am embarrassed to admit that there have been several times in my life when I have acted out of selfish ambition instead of following God’s leading. This was usually because I foolishly thought that I knew best and could handle the situation myself. These false beliefs, of course, always led to failure and defeat. Our selfish pride will never lead to God’s blessings, only to our own destruction. James 4:10 reminds us that when we humble ourselves before the Lord, He lifts us up. “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life” (Prov. 22:4).
Written by Natasha Spiers