KORACH

“Now Korach the son of Yitz’har, the son of K’hat, the son of Levi, along with Datan and Aviram, the son of Eli’av, and On, the son of Pelet, descendants of Re’uven, took men and rebelled against Moshe.”
Numbers 16:1-2a

It was following the bad report of the ten spies that the nation of Isra’el was given the news that they would travel in the wilderness for forty years. One year for each day the spies were out surveying the land. But when the news was given to the nation, there were some who were in the mindset that simply saying sorry to Adonai would change His mind. It didn’t. The disillusioned people remained unhappy. Of these people were Korach and those who felt the same way as he. The goal of their defiance became the control of the power center of Isra’el – the Priesthood. Their accusation was against Moshe and Aharon, stating that the two men were given too much power and laid out too many laws in which the people had to keep.
It was the priests who carried the most authority and a higher status. It was this status that Korach desired, even though none of his clan had the ability to be priests. Korach was from the tribe of Levi, but remember that not all Levites were priests. Others from the tribe of Levi served in different functions, including guards, musicians, and transporters of the Tabernacle.
When Moshe heard the desire of Korach he fell on his face. Moshe then agreed to a challenge where the two men would have a censer with fire and incense in it for Adonai to pick from. With all the items in hand, the two set out the next day to the entrance of the tent of meeting. It was then that the glory of Adonai appeared to the whole assembly. When we look at verse 28, after Adonai’s glory appeared we see a further detail of the challenge. If, and only if, the men involved in the rebellion died of natural causes over time, then Moshe would stand back and understand his time as leader was done. But it anything more happened, the sign would show that Moshe was rightly in his position.
The moment Moshe finished speaking was the exact moment in which the ground opened up and swallowed the men. The onlookers were in panic. The remaining 250 who sided with Korach were destroyed by the fire of Adonai. In one moment of defiance and the overstepping of Adonai’s ways, the rebel army was defeated.

Numbers 16:1-13
Numbers 16:14-19
Numbers 16:20 – 17:9