I’m getting through this section of Numbers as fast as I can because I want to get this over with and not think about widespread betrayal against the Lord during my vacation this week. Indeed, God was still angry with all of Israel during that week in which Korah, his three friends, and 250 others had rebelled and challenged Him and were subsequently swallowed by the ground itself — sadly, Israel has always been prone to earthquakes, but then again, so is everything on the West Coast, Iceland 🇮🇸 Chile 🇨🇱 New Zealand 🇳🇿 the Philippines 🇵🇭 Japan 🇯🇵 and so much more. This chapter is found in pages 89-90 of the NKJV Bible I have for this four-translation project, page 114 of the NASB Bible (Old Testament), pages 181-182 of my VOICE copy, and pages 184-185 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy.
Again, I’m not sure how old Moses, Aaron, and all the others were when these events in chapters 16-17 had happened that week, but it had to have been quite a few years, probably less than halfway into the wilderness wanderings, which, again, had lasted nearly 40 years. The staff was to stop the community from snatching Aaron’s rightful position as the first-ever high priest, to which they responded, “We’re going to die! We will be destroyed! If anyone comes close to the tent where the Eternal One is supposed to meet with us, then he’ll die. Will we all die, then?” (Numbers 17:12-13 (VOICE)) And who hasn’t felt that way before? For if there’s enough judgment and/or punitive people around, everyone else will question if forgiveness even exists! Indeed, Jeremiah prayed in Jeremiah 14:18, “Have You utterly rejected Judah? Has Your soul loathed Zion?” (NKJV) among other things, though that may have been the repitions of the people to try and deceive Him in that passage — unfortunately, Judah’s doom had been sealed by then, especially with passages like Deuteronomy 31:16-21 around. However, the people had embraced the influences of all the idols around them, and Manasseh also brought some idols into God’s temple (see 2 Kings 21:4), so that was when it was time for this to happen. Of course, the man repented and began following Jesus (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) and later reinstated the reforms he had erased (2 Chronicles 33:14-16), but it didn’t avert God’s judgment, and neither did Josiah’s reign in 2 Kings 22-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-35, for when he had started a revival, most of it was fake. Regardless, every time widespread betrayal of the Lord Jesus happens, there’s always a remnant of those who are faithful to Him, even if their nation is wiped off the map, as Paul later illustrated from Elijah’s example in Romans 11:2-4. Indeed, without the 7,000 people who never worshipped Baal, the faith of Jesus probably wouldn’t have survived.
I’ve done enough writing for now, so I’m going to have some lunch. I don’t know what I want to eat, but I don’t need to spend any cash. Regardless, I do need to withdraw a small amount to put into my laundry card and wash all my clothes when the time comes. Thank God I had gone to the bank 🏦 yesterday! (I needed to put a $20 in it after paying rent earlier this week to prevent an overdraft, for I had signed up for a small monthly payment to block spam calls, but I think I need to switch banks; it’snot really working… I don’t really know.) I PRAY I can showcase God’s grace in the next few chapters…
In Christ,
Ron Outland
Ron And His Stories 