Friday, June 26, 2020

Standing idly by



Num. 16:1 - 18:32

Précis: Korach foments a rebellion, claiming that Moses and Aaron have taken too much power for themselves. Datan and Abiram also attack Moses’ leadership, claiming that Moses has brought them from a land of milk and honey (Egypt!) only to let them die in the wilderness. A test of fire offerings is arranged, and Korach and his followers are destroyed as the earth opens and swallows them. The People continue to complain, God threatens to destroy them once again, but Moses and Aaron intercede. A plague takes the lives of 14,000 people. A final test, that of staffs, is performed, and when Aaron’s staff miraculously blossoms on the following morning, it is clear that his status as High Priest is secure.
           
Num. 16:21-22 “Whereupon Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and pleaded with God: ‘O God, Source of the breath of all flesh! When one man sins, will You be wrathful with the whole community?... ‘Speak to the community and say, ‘Withdraw from the abodes of Korach, Datan, and Abiram.’”
            In the initial confrontation between Moses and Korach, only the principals are named. Here, in the subsequent confrontation, all of the people are present and are threatened by God. Moses intervenes, and the devastation is limited to Korach and his followers.
            But why does God want to destroy the entire nation ? After all, the threat was only by the rebellious followers of Korach, Datan, and Abiram. Perhaps it is because the others were indifferent to the evil surrounding them. 
            This is a reminder: for evil to triumph, all that is required is that people of good will stand idly by. 

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