Gainsayers

"Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him? And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up. And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses. But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed." (Numbers 16 KJV)

"Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." (Jude 1:11 KJV)

To "gainsay" means to "speak against," or to "contradict" or "to oppose one's self to one, decline to obey him, declare one's self against him, refuse to have anything to do with him." (Strong)

Those who are guilty of the sin of Korah (Core - Greek), will suffer the same fate as those who are guilty of going in the "way of Cain" and following the "error of Baalim," the infamous false prophet; They will all perish and be forever banned from the congregation of the blessed.

Korah and his evil company were spiritual insurrectionists. They were rebels against Moses and Aaron, the present leadership of the new Israelite nation. They were guilty of a spiritual coups d'état against the theocracy of Jehovah, and against the men whom Lord God had chosen and set apart to be his subordinate rulers, against Moses and against Aaron.

Korah charged Moses with "usurpation," saying to him - "you take too much upon you." Moses returned accusation, saying to Korah - "you take too much upon you," and then further gives the motive of Korah, behind his insurrection, charging that he covets "the priesthood," the place of Moses and Aaron, the "seat of Moses" (See Matthew 23: 2).

Korah represented the choice of the people, the democratic choice, in much the same way as was Saul, Israel's first king. But, neither Saul nor Korah were Jehovah's choice. In fact, the purpose of the trial was so that Lord God would publicly demonstrate just who was in fact the chosen of the Lord, and just who was in fact holy and separated by him to this place of leadership in Israel.

Korah was guilty of gainsaying the messengers and servants of the Lord. In doing so he was gainsaying Lord God himself. It was a great sin. Sinners today do not realize that their rejection of the gospel messenger is a rejection of the one who sent him, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is something quite amazing in the story of the fall of Korah and his company of rebels and about those, among the congregation, who had survived the miraculous destruction of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their company of usurpers.

Even after the destruction of the above named rebels, the surviving congregation was still stubbornly refusing to support Moses and Aaron, and were it not for the intercession of Moses, they all would have been destroyed.

Further, even after they had survived a second time, the very next day the Israelites commit the same sin! And, this was also after having just made a "memorial" of the event the previous day!

"But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." (Romans 10: 21 KJV)

Most of the nation, throughout its history, yea, even to this present time, are appropriately described as a "disobedient and gainsaying people."

"And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city." (Matthew 10: 14, 15 KJV)

"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward." (Matthew 10: 40, 41 KJV)

"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. " (Titus 1: 9-11 KJV)

Thus, it is clear - to reject Moses and Aaron is to reject Lord God. It is even more clear - to reject Christ, the greater Moses, and his messengers of peace, will perish. Christ's servants, however, go forth with the aim to stop the mouths of all gainsayers, not with physical force, but through the power of the Spirit and the word of God.

To be "convinced" now, rather than now rejecting the gospel message, is salvation. For one to fail to be convinced now, and to continue gainsaying the prophets of the Lord, will find nevertheless that they will not be able to gainsay or speak against the Lord when standing before him in the Day of Judgment.

"Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." (Luke 21: 14, 15 KJV)

"Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you (gainsay) as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." (I Peter 2: 12 KJV)

Christians can do much to stop the mouths of the ridiculers and revilers of the gospel message by their soundness and firmness in the faith and by their godly living.

Friend, are you a gainsayer of the gospel, or a stopper of the mouths of the gainsayers of the Lord?