민수기 16장 25절~반란은 죽음을 넘어 역병까지

민수기 16장 25절부터는 고라와 그의 무리들의 반란으로 하나님의 심판이 내려지고 그로 인한 사건이 전개됩니다. 이는 하나님의 공의와 권위에 대한 도전인 동시에 모세와 아론의 중재와 속죄를 통해 하나님의 자비도 부각하는 내용입니다.

 

일단 거리 두기

 

25. Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and 26. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, "Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins." 27. So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.

 

반란군에 동조하는 백성들이 당연히 있었겠죠. 사태의 심각성을 깨달은 모세는 고라와 다단의 장막으로 들어갔고 모인 백성들에게 자리를 떠나라고 합니다. 백성들이 겁을 먹고 이들로부터 멀어졌고 반란군들은 응분의 대가를 치르게 되는 일만 남은 것 같습니다.

 

 

민수기 16장 전반부 읽기

민수기 16장 반란을 진압하다.

 

 

 

 땅이 입을 열다

 

28. And Moses said, "Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. 29. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord."

 

 31. And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up!" 35. And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

 

하나님은 반란자들을 직접 처단하는데 땅의 입을 열게 하여 땅속에 갇히게 됩니다. 그러니까 쉬운 말로 땅에 묻어 버렸다고 해야 할까요? 실제로 이런 일이 생겼다는 것도 신기한데요. 초자연적인 사건이면서도 이는 땅이 입을 열어 삼키는 장면을 마치 지옥으로 추락하는 것으로 보기도 합니다.  하지만 공교롭게도 지반 침하와 같은 현상이 일어날 수도 있었을 것 같습니다. 혹은 어쩌다 이런 사건이 생겼는데 사람들이 말 안 듣는 반란군이 그렇게 죽었다고 과장한 것일 수도 있을 것 같고요. 아무튼, 그렇게 해서 250명이 땅에 묻혀 버립니다.

 

 

 향로의 재사용

 

36. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 37. "Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy. 38. As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel." 39. So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offfered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar, 40. to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company- as the Lord said to him through Moses.

 

그렇게 하나님이 명으로 땅으로 떨어져 죽은 250명 이후 하나님은 이들이 사용한 향로를 모아 제단의 덮개로 만들게 하셨습니다. 이는 추모보다는 경고와 상기 그러니까 경각심을 갖게 하기 위해서 그렇게 명하십니다.

 

 

 백성들의 불평

 

41. But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the Lord." 42. And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned towards the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43. And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44. and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45. "Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." And they fell on their faces. 46. And Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer, and put fire on it from the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun." 47. So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48. And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. 49. Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah. 50. And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.

 

백성들은 누구의 편도 아닌 것처럼 보입니다. 하나님이 반란군 및 250명의 백성을 죽인 것에 불평을 하자 하나님은 전염병을 퍼뜨립니다. 하나님이란 존재는 왜 이렇게 모질기만 한지 모르겠습니다. 아무튼, 역병이 퍼지고 14700명이 죽어 나갔다고 합니다. 백성들은 두려움도 두려움이지만 모세와 아론에게 따져 묻습니다. 이것은 반란을 넘어 원망 및 자포자기에 해당할 것입니다. 모세도 할 말이 없었겠죠. 그러자 모세와 아론은 백성들을 위한 속죄 의식을 수행하였습니다. 대신 죄를 사하여 달라고 간청한 것이겠죠. 그러자 하나님은 역병을 멈췄다고 합니다. 아니 죗값을 충분히 내린 걸로도 모자라 무고한 백성을 왜 이렇게 괴롭히셨나 모르겠습니다.