One of the main stories in the book of Numbers is that of Korah. In addition to showing what happens when people challenge the authority of God, it also reinforces the Levitical priesthood in a way that would leave no doubt as to who’s in charge.
Everyone got the message. There are no more large-scale rebellions against the Levitical priesthood elsewhere in the Old Testament (to my knowledge; as always, email me if you find one).
As punishment for his rebellion, Korah faced one of the most dramatic executions in Scripture: The earth opened up around him, and he fell in. His co-conspirators—either part of the same rebellion or forming their own, separate one—died as well, along with their families.
One group survived, however: The Sons of Korah. It’s not explicitly stated in Numbers 16, but we have the briefest of mentions here in Numbers 26:11. No explanation is offered, either. The Text just simply says that the “Sons of Korah did not die.”
That’s a good thing. From this point forward, the Sons of Korah work to rebuild their family name by serving as the vanguard of the Temple and its worship. They pen eleven different psalms (Psalms 42, 44-49 84-85, 87-88), the most of any besides David and Asaph.
One verse in particular is sweet: “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).
That verse is powerful. It’s even more powerful when you realize that it’s written by the sons of Korah, whose namesake ancestor apparently did not feel that way. Korah’s life is marked by rebellion and over-stepping his bounds to attain more honor for himself. His progeny, on the other hand, were content with their station in life.
This is also to be taken literal. According to 1 Chronicles 9:19, the Sons of Korah literally guarded the thresholds of the Tabernacle, and later, the Temple. They made sure no one recreated the sin of Korah by advancing too far into the holy worship of God.
Is this why they were spared? At the time, it just looks like a convenient oversight. Maybe they weren’t around during Korah’s rebellion and so were spared the destruction that Korah received.
Knowing this though, it seems more like a deliberate choice. According to the Jewish scholar Rashi, the Sons of Korah were originally involved in the rebellion, but later had “thoughts of repentance in their hearts.” As such, they weren’t killed.
It’s impossible to know exactly why the sons of Korah were not killed in the rebellion of their father, but there’s no question their psalms bear the memory of this event. All eleven of their psalms are marked with the type of desperation that can only come from being so close to death and judgment, yet “plucked” at the last minute.
Consider what they say in Psalm 42:1: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God.”
Or in Psalm 44:6: “I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me…in God we have boasted all day long, and we will give thanks to Your name forever.”
You don’t write that way unless you’re in deep communion with God. It’s the type of writing that we all should aspire to—not in literary style, but in words that evoke a desire for intimacy and closeness.
But one, as Korah found out, that can only come from operating within your station.