Continued from yesterday. So [the families of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram] went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed upon them, and they perished. All of the people of Israel fled at their screams, fearing that the earth would swallow them too. Then fire came forth from Jehovah and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense. And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to pull those censers from the fire; for they are holy, dedicated to the Lord. He must also scatter the burning incense from the censers of the men who have sinned at the cost of their lives. He shall then beat the metal into a sheet as a covering for the altar, for these censers are holy because they were used before the Lord; and the altar sheet shall be a reminder to the people of Israel."

   So Eleazar the priest took the 250 bronze censers and beat them out into a sheet of metal to cover the altar, to be a reminder to the people of Israel that no unauthorized person - no one who is not a descendant of Aaron - may come before the Lord to burn incense, lest the same thing happen to him as happened to Korah and his associates. Thus the Lord's directions to Moses were carried out. But the very next morning all the people began muttering against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the Lord's people."

   Soon a great, sullen mob formed; suddenly, as they looked toward the Tabernacle, the Cloud appeared and the awesome glory of the Lord was seen. Moses and Aaron came and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and the Lord said to Moses, "Get away from these people so that I can instantly destroy them." But Moses and Aaron fell face downward to the earth before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, "Quick, take a censer and place fire in it from the altar; lay incense on it, and carry it quickly among the people and make atonement for them; for God's anger has gone out among them - the plague has already begun." And [Aaron] stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was stopped, but not before 14,700 people had died (in addition to those who had died the previous day with Korah). Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle; and so the plague was stopped. To be continued.

Taken from Numbers 16, The Living Bible. For free Lifescope book,
write to Box 1575, Carlsbad, NM 88221. Please send $1.00 for postage and handling.