2025-12-14 Sermon Notes1 - Daniel Lyons' Notes

type:
  - "[[Sermon Notes|Sermon Notes]]"
speaker: "[[Archibald Allison]]"
date: 2025-12-14
location: "[[Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church]]"
passage: Psalm 106:16-18
sermon series: "[[Allison on the Psalms]]"
sermon link:
subjects:
  - "[[envy]]"
title: God's Wrath On Those Who Envy
takeaways:

Speaker	Archibald Allison
Date	2025-12-14
Location	Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Passage	Psalm 106:16-18
Title	God's Wrath On Those Who Envy
Takeaways	[object Object]
Subjects	["envy"]

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

Psalm 106:16-18

They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron, Yahweh's saint. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. A fire was kindled in their company. The flame burned up the wicked.

Points

God's Divinely Appointed Leaders Were Challenged Out Of Envy

Their are many events of Israel's rebellion that led to God's judgment that they should wander in the wilderness for 40 years, but this moment was by far the largest.
- It is cited again and again throughout the scriptures.
We find this account in Numbers 16, where the people rebel against Moses, Aaron and ultimately Moses.
- Ultimately their rebellion was motivated by envy. But there were many motivations which we see below.

Irreverence Or Disrespect For Holy Things

they showed total disrespect for God and His ministers.

Rebellion

Numbers 16.30 But if Yahweh makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up with all that belong to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh."

Pride of Heart

they played down the role of Moses and Aaron and exalted themselves as holy along with all the poeple

Murmuring, Complaining, Grumbling

they criticized Moses
Numbers 16.11 Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against Yahweh! What is Aaron that you complain against him?"

An Ambitious spirit

They wanted to put Moses and Aaron down so that they could put themselves up
Numbers 16.7 put fire in them, and put incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow. It shall be that the man whom Yahweh chooses, he shall be holy. You have gone too far, you sons of Levi!"
They rejected God's ministers and desired to usurp their place.

Ingratitude For God's Mercies

Numbers 16:9-10 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of Yahweh's tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? Do you seek the priesthood also?

Hard Hearts and Stubbornness

Numbers 16.41 But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and against Aaron, saying, "You have killed Yahweh's people!"
The people still complain even after seeing God's judgment against the rebels. We would expect recompense yet there is none.

The sins of leaders of this rebellion: Korah, Dathan and Abiram

Korah was the leader evidently
- Numbers 16.16 Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company go before Yahweh, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.
- Numbers 16.32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all of Korah's men, and all their goods.
- Who was Korah and why did he misbehave this way?
  - He was a relative of Moses and Aaron. Korah's father and Moses' father were brothers.
  - they were first cousins.
  - More importantly, Korah was a Levite from the sons of Kohath.
    - Numbers 16.1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took some men.
    - Korah wanted to be a priest and not just a helper in the tabernacle
Also helping Korah were Dathan, Abiram and On.
- It seems odd that On is mentioned in v1 but is never again mentioned after this. It seems that he repented and separated himself from the rebels.
The sons of Reuben,
- These were non-Levites who wanted to be elevated to the honor of priesthood.

Moses And Aaron Reflect Christ

God was sovereign over Moses and Aaron and the sin of these rebels was really a reaction against God. They did not have a right regard for God and no respect for Him.
They resisted God's express will.
- God determined that Moses and Aaron would be the leaders. They were appointed to be God's mouthpiece.
- By rejecting Moses and Aaron, they were rejecting God Himself, censuring God's plan.
In rejecting the express will of God, they were also rejecting God's blessings.
- Numbers 16.9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of Yahweh's tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;
- God had granted them the privilege of serving God and drawing near to Him, and evidently they did not regard this highly.
- This is the same for sinners today.
The sin in the hearts of the people was really rejecting, particularly of the priesthood.
- Numbers 16.11 Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against Yahweh! What is Aaron that you complain against him?"
- They would rather do for themselves what God and Christ has done for them.
- They covet to be in Aaron's place.
- What does the sinner do? He sets aside the Savior and vainly imagines that he can be his own savior. They do not want a savior, they want to be their own savior.
- Dathan literally means man of the law. On means strength and sufficiency. Abiram means mighty and exalted.
  - They find their identity in self-righteousness
self-righteousness:
- So often we try to deny our sinful self, when really we need to deny our so-called righteous self.
  - We presume to think that we could possibly earn our righteousness. This is because we fail to see how utterly unrighteous we truly are.
It is thoroughly unreasonable to rebel against God. He has done us no wrong.
- Numbers 16.15 Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, "Don't respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them."
- Such people do themselves wrong. They sinned against their own souls.
  - Numbers 16.38 even the censers of those who sinned against their own lives. Let them be beaten into plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before Yahweh. Therefore they are holy. They shall be a sign to the children of Israel."

God's judgment of death

Three reasons Moses fell on his face

Why did Moses fall upon his face?
- Numbers 16.4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face.
- Fear.

God's judgment upon those who rebelled shows his glory and righteousness.

Numbers 16.19 Korah assembled all the congregation opposite them to the door of the Tent of Meeting. Yahweh's glory appeared to all the congregation.
These sinners were struck with the glory of the Lord and it filled them with fear because they knew that they could not be in the presence of a holy God.
- Numbers 16.22 They fell on their faces, and said, "God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?"
God's glory and judgment reveals what is right and wrong. It demands that we separate from sin.
- Numbers 16.26 He spoke to the congregation, saying, "Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins!"
- sin is filth to God. It must be put away.

God's Unprecedented Judgment

Numbers 16:30-36 But if Yahweh makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up with all that belong to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh." As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all of Korah's men, and all their goods. So they, and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol. The earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. All Israel that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up!" Fire came out from Yahweh, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Atonement

The third and most beautiful thing that we see in this passage is atonement. Despite their rebellion, God has made a way of salvation and deliverance.
- It was not Moses but Aaron who saved them. It was not the king but the priest who saved them. And it was not the king of Israel, but the one true priest, Jesus Christ who saved God's people.
- The censer represents prayer or intercession.
  - It is by the intercessory work of Christ that we are saved.
  - Numbers 16.46 Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from Yahweh! The plague has begun."
  - Atonement in Hebrew is kippur. It means covering over sin.
  - 14,700 people died from the plague that came from the presence of the Lord.
- Aaron ran. Why did Aaron run? Because of the desperate plight of the sinners. He ran because they needed him. And Christ ran for us, because of our desperate need for His salvation.
  - Numbers 16.47 Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. The plague had already begun among the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.

Application

the plague was stopped by God.
- Our great high priest has made atonement and thus saved us from the judgment and wrath of God.
  - He has taken the censer
  - He has offered the sacrifice
  - He has made the atonement
  - And all the glory belongs to Him.
Are you trusting in Him? only He can stop the death that is coming to us all.
Come to Jesus. Believe in Him or else, like Korah Dathan, and Abiram, the earth will swallow you up.

Further Study

💬Discussion Questions

2025-12-14 Sermon Notes1

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