God kills 14,700 for grumbling about the killing of the 250+

Numbers 16:41-50 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the LORD’s people,” they said. But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD said to Moses, “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started.” So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY

Our last reading, God kills 250+ with an earthquake and fire, God killed Korah and a little over 250 others. The Israelite community, a bit appalled by this action, grumbled to Moses and Aaron. Well, to judge them for this, God killed 14,700 of them and would have killed more had Aaron not “offered incense and made atonement for them.”