Study Desk

But my servant Caleb isn't like the others. So because he has faith in me, I will allow him to cross into Canaan, and his descendants will settle there.

The Lord also told Moses to tell the people what must be done if they ever disobey his laws:

Then he said to Korah and his followers: Tomorrow morning the Lord will show us the person he has chosen to be his priest, and that man will faithfully serve him.

Korah, now here is what you and your followers must do: Get some fire pans, fill them with coals and incense, and place them near the sacred tent. And the man the Lord chooses will be his priest. Korah, this time you Levites have gone too far!

The Lord has given you a special responsibility, and now, Korah, you think you should also be his priest.

Meanwhile, Korah had convinced the rest of the Israelites to rebel against their two leaders. When that happened, the Lord appeared in all his glory

just as the Lord had told Moses. The pans were a warning to the Israelites that only Aaron's descendants would be allowed to offer incense to the Lord . Anyone else who tried would be punished like Korah and his followers.

As the people crowded around them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the sacred tent, and the Lord appeared in his glory in the cloud covering the tent.

But fourteen thousand seven hundred Israelites were dead, not counting those who had died with Korah and his followers.

Call together the twelve tribes of Israel and tell the leader of each tribe to write his name on the walking stick he carries as a symbol of his authority. Make sure Aaron's name is written on the one from the Levi tribe, then collect all the sticks.

I will then choose a man to be my priest, and his stick will sprout. After that happens, I won't have to listen to any more complaints about you.

Moses brought the twelve sticks out of the tent and showed them to the people. Each of the leaders found his own and took it.

He will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times in the direction of the sacred tent.

After the ceremony, the priest is to take a bath and wash his clothes. Only then can he go back into the camp, but he remains unclean and unfit for worship until evening.

The man who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and take a bath, but he is also unclean until evening.

The man who collects the ashes must wash his clothes, but will remain unclean until evening. This law must always be obeyed by the people of Israel and the foreigners living among them.

These laws will never change. The man who sprinkled the water and the ashes on you when you were unclean must also wash his clothes. And whoever touches this water is unclean until evening.

Moses and Aaron went to the entrance to the sacred tent, where they bowed down. The Lord appeared to them in all of his glory

Moses obeyed and took his stick from the sacred tent.

He raised his stick in the air and struck the rock two times. At once, water gushed from the rock, and the people and their livestock had water to drink.