"Stand Back!"

        “Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.”

        “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”

        “The ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.”

        This drama in Numbers 16 is one of the awfulest in all Scripture. It looks like Korah and his family were completely wiped out. Happily, we read in Numbers 26:11, the little verse, “The line of Korah, however, did not die out.” It’s interesting to speculate how that could be—did Korah have sons or grandsons who remained faithful to Moses? Korah had three sons, Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph— “these were the Korahite clans.” Ex.6:24. Did some members of all three clans survive? We just aren’t told. From the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 6:22-28 and 6:33-38, it seems that the prophet Samuel was a distant descendant of Korah, which would make him too a Levite but not a priest.

        Just two more generations on, we discover that Samuel’s grandson was Heman, “the musician”, who may have been a “director of music” as in the psalm titles. Along with Asaph on his right hand and Merarites at his left hand, we learn that “these are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there. They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.” 1 Chr.6:31-32.

        The Korahites were also  gatekeepers, “responsible for guarding the thresholds of the Tent, just as their fathers had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of the LORD.” 1 Chr.9:19 The Korahites were multi-talented people: “A Levite named Mattithiah, the firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with the responsibility for baking the offering bread.” 1 Chr.9:31.

        In King Jehoshaphat’s day  a vast army of Moabites and Ammonites came against Judah. The king called on the LORD for help, the LORD answered through the prophet Jahaziel, and “all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD.” 2 Chr.20:18-19. “Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice.”

        We don’t want to leave this study of the Korahites without looking at some of the Psalms that are credited to them in some way or another. The eleven Psalms are 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 84, 85, 87, and 88. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern or theme to them; some of them run the same gamut as Psalm 42: Downcast... downcast... downcast... I will yet praise him...”  For instance Psalm 44 talks about a nation “rejected... humbled... plundered... covered with shame...crushed...” until at last they cry “Rise up and help us.”

        Some of these psalms are hopeful and joyful. Psalm 47 says, “Shout to God with cries of joy...God is the King of all the earth,” and Psalm 84 exults, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”

        Probably the greatest of the eleven is Psalm 45, praising the Messiah—  “My heart is stirred by a noble theme...You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace...Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever...at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.” Notice that this particular psalm is called “A wedding song.” Might this be the marriage supper of the Lamb?     

        So what can we take away from this picture of a family history spanning 600 years or more? The most obvious thing would be that if there is something rotten in our family’s past or even in our own personal past, God can take dedicated or re-dedicated believers and make something beautiful. The Korahites guarded the gates of the temple, some of them baked special bread for the offering, and the most talented led the musical presentations. Although Jude 11 warns us of those who “have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion”, we can take comfort from the fact that many more of Korah’s descendants never rebelled but were inspired to bring great glory to God.