March 11

Numbers 15:17-16:40

Mark 15

Psalm 54:1-7

Proverbs 11:5, 6

"So Eleazar the priest collected the 250 bronze incense burners that had been used by the men who died in the fire, and he hammered them into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. This would warn the Israelites that no unauthorized person - no one who was not a descendant of Aaron - should ever enter the Lord's presence to burn incense. If anyone did, the same thing would happen to him as happened to Korah and his followers. So the Lord's instructions to Moses were carried out."

~ Numbers 16:39-40

"Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."

~ Mark 15:37-38

If you look at this rebellion lead by Korah, you may not see what was so bad about what Korah wanted. He wanted all the Israelites to have direct access to God without needing the priest to mediate. This is what we do today. So what is the difference? 

The difference can be found in Mark 15. When Jesus died, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two. He was the final sacrifice forever canceling out all our sins. Because of what He did, we can have direct access to God with Jesus as our mediator. What Korah failed to realize was that his sin kept him from having a direct relationship with God. His sin could not be in the presence of a Holy God without deadly consequences. 

The difference is Jesus. And He makes all the difference in the world.

(I got the idea for this blog entry from Travis' journal from today. I can't take any credit for it.)