How can we be so sure that Christianity is the only true religion? After all, in this age where all information is everywhere all the time, you can hear all sorts of conflicting opinions – just scroll down in your Facebook feed. And every opinion can’t be true at the same time – you can’t think mass immigration into the United States is both good and bad, for example. So, if someone’s right, all too often that means that someone else is wrong.
God’s people were wondering the same sort of thing in these chapters. The sons of Korah wanted the priesthood to be opened up to more Levitical families. Dathan and Abiram belonged to a different tribe, the tribe of Reuben, but they were also jealous of the leadership that Moses and Aaron exercised, criticizing them for failing to bring the people into the promised land.
But these two chapters make one thing crystal-clear: it was God who chose Moses and Aaron to lead His people. Over and over again, we see them exercising this leadership as they prayed for God to forgive the rebellious people (Numbers 16:22), and making atonement for those who continued to oppose their leadership (Numbers 16:45-48). This kind of intercession is still a big part of the job description that the true leaders of God’s people have today.
And that’s because of the central symbolic meaning of both the priests and the Tabernacle itself: Christ is the only way of salvation. Remember, as he offered the sacrifices of the people and carried the blood of their offerings into the holiest of places, the priest was foreshadowing the perfect sacrifice of Christ, Who has carried His own blood into the presence of the Father for the atonement of all His people’s sins (Hebrews 9:11-12). There couldn’t be more than one high priest because there can’t be more than one Savior.
On this Lord’s Day, let’s turn away from all these conflicting truth claims, and let’s run to Christ. Let’s accept His sacrifice on our behalf, and give ourselves completely to His service. For He is worthy of nothing less.
Numbers 16:41-48 (ESV)
41 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.” 42 And 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. 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting,
44 and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and 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 wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun.” 47 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. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
