Numbers 16:40
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. 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.
The censers of Korah's company had been made holy by being presented before the Lord, so their metal was beaten into a covering for the altar to stand as a lasting sign that no one outside the seed of Aaron may come near to burn incense before the Lord lest he share the fate of Korah and his company. That memorial answers the claim that all the congregation is holy and therefore free to take the priestly office for itself. The uprising was the same pride and ambition that moved Lucifer against the government of heaven, working through envy, distrust and desire for position until in rejecting Moses and Aaron as God's appointed leaders the rebels rejected God Himself. Their destruction stands as a recorded warning that rebellion against God's appointed order ends in ruin, yet even after that judgment the people still charged Moses and Aaron with killing the Lord's people, showing how rebellion blinds and hardens the heart. So the verse warns against entering sacred service without God's appointment, for work kindled by self will not endure while only what God kindles abides.
Censers as Lasting Memorial
The censers taken up by Korah's followers had become hallowed because they had been presented before the Lord, and their metal was beaten into a covering for the altar to stand as a sign and memorial to Israel. That memorial ordains that no stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron is to come near to offer incense before the Lord, lest he become as Korah and as his company and share their fate and judgment. The account is given as a lesson calling for careful, prayerful attention to rebellion and its consequences.
True service must use only the holy fire God provides, for service mixed with self will not endure, while work done in God will endure. The same restriction of priestly service to Aaron's family was later violated when Uzziah entered the sanctuary to burn incense. The history including this memorial gives instruction fitting for the present time to keep the whole flock from being fed with errors that would cause them to go astray. In this way the memorial answers the rebels' claim that the whole congregation was holy and equally entitled to authority, rejecting the idea that such holiness made anyone free to take up the priestly office.
Rebellion Against Appointed Order
The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram worked out on a narrower stage the same spirit that produced Satan's rebellion in heaven. Pride and ambition prompted Lucifer to complain of the government of God and to seek the overthrow of the order established in heaven, and since his fall his object has been to infuse the same envy and discontent and the same ambition for position and honor into men. He worked upon Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to arouse the desire for self-exaltation and to excite envy, distrust, and rebellion. By rejecting Moses and Aaron as men of God's appointment they rejected God as their leader, and while murmuring against Moses and Aaron they blasphemed God, yet they were so deluded as to think themselves righteous and to regard those who faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan. Their fate warns against rebellion disguised as spiritual guidance and against leaders who gain support through secrecy, falsehood, and evil surmising.
Resisting God's appointed counsel repeats their rebellion, for they stubbornly trusted their own judgment over that of Moses. Their history warns against resisting or undermining God's servants when they carry out the duty of correcting wrongdoing. Even after God's judgment destroyed the leaders, rebellion remained when the survivors wrongly accused Moses and Aaron of killing the people of the Lord. That persistence shows that rebellion can bring fearful deception and leave people hard to convince.
The fate of Korah and his company stands as a recorded memorial that rebellion against God's appointed order leads to destruction, and Israel was not to repeat their example of unbelief. The failures of Israel and their consequences were recorded to admonish later believers not to follow that example.
Faithful Service and Application
The memorial stands as a warning against approaching God's service without His appointment and against rebellion and unauthorized service in sacred work. Service mixed with self and kindled from self will not stand or endure, while work done in God and with what God kindles will endure, so worshippers must use what God provides and kindles rather than anything else, including any strange or unholy fire. The account is given as a lesson calling for careful, prayerful attention to rebellion and its consequences, for it records that only those descended from Aaron were authorized to offer incense before the Lord and that anyone else who approached to do so would share the fate of Korah and his company. In a crisis it calls for decisive action and for separating evil workers from the Lord's work, since those who resist God's warnings and persist in evil must have their hearts changed.
The restriction of priestly service to Aaron's family was later violated when Uzziah entered the sanctuary to burn incense. The whole account through Numbers 16:1-50, including this memorial that no stranger outside the seed of Aaron come near to offer incense lest he be as Korah and his company, gives instruction appropriate for the present time to keep the whole flock from being fed with errors that would cause them to go astray.