At Moses' Word Aaron Stays the Plague by Offering Incense on His Censer (Numbers 16:46-50).
The purpose in what followed was to demonstrate that Aaron with his censer was a totally different thing from the rebels with their censers. Aaron's pleas were effective because he was the rightful intermediary for the people. In a sense he was the people. Theirs had been unsuccessful because they were frauds.
‘And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire in it from off the altar, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from Yahweh. The plague is begun.” '
Moses had already been made aware that Yahweh's judgment had begun and that a deadly plague was spreading through the people. There was no time for intercession. The judgment was already at work and spreading rapidly. He recognised that there was only one hope. He turned to Aaron and commanded him to take his censer, put fire in it from the altar, from the burning coals that had received so much of the offerings of Israel (compare Isaiah 6:6), and then to burn incense on it. He was to do it with all speed. Then he was to race among the Israelites, making atonement for them, as the incense ascended as intercession for mercy to Yahweh, burning in the coals from the altar which had regularly burned offerings, and offered by the one who stood for the whole people. All had to be hurry. For Yahweh's holy justice and aversion to sin was being revealed and the deadly plague had already begun.
‘And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly, and, behold, the plague was begun among the people. And he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.'
Aaron instantly obeyed. He ran into the midst of ‘the assembly' and even as he did so was aware of people dying around him. So putting the incense on to the coals in his censer he made atonement for the people. The incense smoke, and the smoke from the coals, rose upwards and as Yahweh looked down on His chosen representative offering atonement for the people His holy justice was appeased. Because of the multiplicity of offerings that had been slain and had been offered on the altar, and because of the intercession of His chosen servants, and in this case especially His High Priest, He was enabled to righteously forgive.
‘And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.'
And there Aaron stood between the dead and the living. The dead were gone, seemingly drawing others after them, but he brought hope and protection to the living. Death was driven back. As a holy intercessor he prevented death from reaching more of the people. Now all would know without any doubt who was the chosen of Yahweh, and who had the sole right to offer incense on behalf of the people.
One day Another would even more effectively stand between the dead and the living as He hung on a cross, and a greater plague would be stayed, for His death would be sufficient for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Indeed He would hold the keys of Sheol and of death, opening them and releasing all who were His (Revelation 1:18).
‘Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korah.'
And the number who died from that plague, on top of those who had died in the matter of Korah, was fourteen 'eleph and seven ‘hundreds'. If ever there was a symbolic number this was it. Fourteen was twice seven indicating the revelation of the divine choice and perfection in judgment and the doubling of the reception of the punishment for sin (compare Isaiah 40:1). This was then followed by seven intensified indicating the divine perfection of the judgment demanded. We are probably to translate, 14 leaders and the equivalent of seven military units (or fourteen families, the equivalent of seven military units).
‘And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tent of meeting, and the plague was stayed.'
Having done his duty Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of meeting and the plague ceased. Hopefully the people would now settle down and return to normality. While this whole incident is not dated, the highly charged state that it reveals the people to have been in seems to indicate that it could not have been long after their great disappointment about the land.
The lessons for us are clear. They are that we recognise the importance of doing God's work in God's way, that we honour those whom He honours, and that we do not rebel against His chosen leaders who prove themselves worthy of Him, and whom He authenticates by the power of their ministry. The lessons are that we do not seek to trespass on things that are not God's will for us, but accept from His hand what He is willing to give us. They are that we remember that He is holy, and that we should walk carefully and reverently before Him, always recognising His great holiness, for though greatly privileged we must never take God for granted.
From this we also learn of One Who can, as it were, come among us and offer up the incense of intercession and atonement on our behalf, ever living to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).