Israel was passing out of the Egypt of this world,
through desolate places, to a
promised land.

Implied in 1Cor 10:1-12 is that the promised land they were headed to was symbolic of heaven. That symbolism is much more explicit in the book of Hebrews. Previous posts have also discussed “The Wilderness Wanderings as a Type.”

Now God had promised them “rest”
in the promised land.

But Israel often focused on their immediate problems rather than the “land” that they were to inherit “forever.” So an entire generation perished in the wilderness, rather than reach the promised land.

Some rebelled against God’s authority
in the wilderness.

God did and does have authority to put whoever He wants in charge. He did put Moses in overall charge of the people, and He put Aaron and his sons as priests to approach God in behalf of the people. So much authority was centralized and it was male dominated (as also had been the family, even since the beginning).

A true prophetess, in Exodus 15 Miriam led the women in a public celebration of the victory over Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. You may remember some of the words of this song.

“Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously:
The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Ex 15:21 WEB

But in Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam wanted
the same authority as Moses.

“They said, Has Yahweh indeed spoken only with Moses? Hasn’t he spoken also with us? Yahweh heard it.”
Num 12:2 WEB

The Lord Himself answered for Moses, and temporarily struck Miriam with leprosy.

Today we have problems with those who do not like God’s order of things in the world, in society and in the church, and would put aside the ordinances of Christ’s Law, to order things as they please. Christ is the great prophet of whom God said, if they don’t listen Christ, “I will require it of him.” That is still pertinent today.

Then Korah organized a democratic style rebellion
against what God had set in place.

They said,

“… You take too much on you, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and Yahweh is among them: why then lift yourselves up above the assembly of Yahweh?”
Num 16:3 WEB

Partly true, but also God Himself had put Moses in charge. The end of it was that the earth itself opened up, and Korah went down alive into Sheol.

“So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly.”
Num 16:33 WEB

Korah tried to take Moses role, and Moses was a type of the Christ. Korah is evidently a type of later rebels (the beast and the false prophet), at the end of time, who will try to take Christ’s place, of whom it says they “were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.” Rev 19:20 WEB

Understanding types is essential for understanding prophecy. This is some practice.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901