Numbers 16 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“Just as he (Moses) finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all of Korah’s people and their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them and they vanished from the assembly.” Numbers 16:31-33

There is much said about G_d’s love. It is true that He IS love, and that He sent Messiah Yeshua, so that sinners might be saved. (John 3:16) But in no way does G_d’s LOVE negate the fact that God is also JUST. He will by no means clear the guilty. (Numbers 14:18, Exodus 34:7, Nahum 1:3)

Often times, we can confuse G_d’s “love” with His “long suffering”. That is, when G_d is slow to wrath, we tend to believe He either doesn’t see our sin, doesn’t care, is powerless to act, or that His LOVE for the sinner prohibits His chastisement/rebuke of their sin. Today’s chapter is a clear picture of the L_rd’s judgment of sin. He cares.

Remember: Two things confound a fool…how slow G_d is to arrive, and how quickly He shows up!

In sharing the gospel of Messiah with Jewish people, you may run into those who say they don’t believe in Satan, or that they do not believe in a literal “Hell” where G_d sends people who refuse to believe in Him. I suggest you share Numbers 16 with them.

Chapter 16 also gives us a very clear picture of Hell. Men went down into Sheol (the grave)/abode of the dead) with all that belonged to them. And they say you can’t take it with you…. Notice the Scripture reads that Korah’s family (and the families of his allies) went down ALIVE into Sheol. It wasn’t that they died and were committed to Sheol. They went down, alive. Hopefully, this account lends urgency to your calling, to share the gospel, because we can plainly see that the Bible teaches there is a literal Hell, and people can and will go there.

We often think of those believers who will be alive at the time of Yeshua’s return, how in the twinkling of an eye they will be taken-up. But today we get an oft’ neglected view of the non-believer who will be on the earth at the time of Yeshua’s second coming. How they will be judged and descend (alive) as quickly as the living believers are taken-up.

“Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom; nor the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead shall be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:50-52

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Friday, May 23, 2014