Numbers 16 - Pure Heart

So yesterday I wrote about how one man's attitude and disobedience can be contagious and infect the community and today's chapter provides and example of that. We see that Korah, has done just that at stirred up the people against Moses and Aaron and God turns to punish the whole community.

It is only through Moses and Aaron's intervention that God spares the the community as a whole and limits the punishments to a small portion.

²² But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground. “O God,” they pleaded, “you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Must you be angry with all the people when only one man sins?

⁴³ Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle, ⁴⁴ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

 ⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with the Lord.^[f] The Lord’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”

Following the warning, God makes his point that a heart that is sincere for God is what is acceptable. We see that when Korah and the 250 present their incense burners to God, they are not acceptable.

³⁵ Then fire blazed forth from the Lord and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

Just following purification rituals without truly being pure in your heart is not what God is looking for. God searches for a heart that is open to God and obedience.

So consider where your heart is and where you want it to be....and let moving closer to God be a daily prayer.