Trinity of Jesus Christ
Chapter 12: Korah's Explanation

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In previous segments, we examined, with scriptural evidence, how our Savior Jesus Christ is not only the Son of the Word but also the Son of the Father [who dwelt within Him] and the Son of the Holy Spirit [who anointed Him], and how they tasted death for our sake; in this segment, too, we will look at the prophecies concerning the death of all three.

Moses and Aaron were held in high esteem by the people of Israel; in stark contrast, however, Korah—their cousin—became a symbol of a curse. This happened when God had appointed Moses and Aaron as leaders to guide the Israelites; Korah, failing to understand God's will, joined a small group of people and rose up against Moses and Aaron - 8.Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9.Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10.and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11.Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?” 12.And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up! 13.Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? 14.Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up! - Numbers 16:8-14

Consequently, Korah incurred the wrath of God and met a wretched death; as the earth split open and swallowed him alive before all the Israelites, his demise became a subject of talk, and he himself became a symbol of a curse - 28.And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29.If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30.But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.” 31.Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32.and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33.So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly - Numbers 16:28-33

The Bible refers to the death of Korah as "a sign" because it served as a prophecy of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; specifically, it foreshadowed how our Lord Jesus Christ—bearing all our sins and standing in the place of a guilty person—faced God's wrath and underwent death on the cross.

However, it is said that the two men named Dathan and Abiram—along with Korah—were swallowed by the earth and became a sign; this signified that the Son of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit, who dwelt within Jesus Christ, had to face death for our sake. That is why, even though there were many others with Korah, only those three—Korah, Dathan, and Abiram—were swallowed by the earth and perished - 9.The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, representatives of the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord; 10.and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; and they became a sign - Numbers 26:9-10

Least Ministry

Thus, although Korah’s death prophetically foreshadowed the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, in the eyes of the world, they were viewed as symbols of a curse; consequently, as members of the tribe of Levi, they were relegated to a lowly status and performed the ministry of guarding the gates - Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, from his father’s house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the Lord - 1 Chronicles 9:19

Sons of Korah

Elkanah, Hannah, and their son, the prophet Samuel, were the ones who came from the lineage of Korah - 32.They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order. 33.And these are the ones who ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34.the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35.the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36.the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37.the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel - 1 Chronicles 6:32-38

Born into the lineage of those who performed the ministry of guarding the entrance, the young Samuel also served while wearing a linen ephod; this was due to his mother, Hannah, who—instead of sewing a high-ranking priestly robe for him—provided the shorter tunic worn by those who guarded the entrance and encouraged him to carry out that specific ministry - 18.But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. 19.Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice - 1 Samuel 2:18-19

That is why Samuel used to lie down in the house of the Lord before the lamp of God went out, and rise early in the morning to open the doors of the Lord's house - Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli - 1 Samuel 3:15

Explanation of Hannah

The offering presented by Hannah—in gratitude to God for showing her grace and granting a son named Samuel to her, who had been barren—proclaims mysteries concerning Jesus Christ: she brought bulls to proclaim the death of Jesus Christ as the Gospel; an ephah of flour [a grain offering] to proclaim the death of the Son of the Father who dwelt within Jesus Christ; and a skin of wine [a drink offering] to proclaim the death of the Son of the Holy Spirit - 24.And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25.Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26.And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27.For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28.Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there - 1 Samuel 1:24-28

Explanation of Samuel

Jesus Christ, who thus revealed His Trinity through Hannah, also manifested it through her son, Samuel. When Jesus Christ called Samuel three times—calling him as the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit—the young Samuel, unable to discern the Lord's correction, went to Eli to inquire. Consequently, it is noted that when the Lord called Samuel a second time, "the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him"—meaning Samuel did not yet realize that the Word Himself would be revealed as the Messiah - 1.Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2.At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3.The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4.Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5.and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6.And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7.Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8.And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9.Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place - 1 Samuel 3:3-9

 

It was only when Samuel was called for the third time that Eli, recognizing the Lord's Trinity, understood that the One calling was the Lord Jesus Christ and offered counsel to Samuel - 10.And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11.Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12.On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13.And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,[a] and he did not restrain them. 14.Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15.Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16.But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17.And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18.So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” 19.And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20.And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord - I Samuel 3:10-20

After that, God revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh through His word—teaching him, in other words, that the One who is the Word would be revealed as the Messiah -  21.And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord - I Samuel 3:21

Explanation of Son's of Korah

In the eyes of the world, the descendants of Korah held no status; they were considered lowly and performed the service of guarding the gates - As for the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph - 1 Chronicles 26:1

Yet, they were highly distinguished in the sight of God; that is why, in 1 Chronicles chapter 26, the names of the descendants of Korah are mentioned first, while the names of the descendants of Moses—who was the chief over the treasuries—are mentioned last - 24.Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was overseer of the treasuries. 25.And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son. 26.This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasuries of the dedicated things which King David and the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the army, had dedicated. 27.Some of the [a]spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the Lord - I Chronicles 26:24-27


God granted the sons of Korah revelations concerning His only begotten Son, as well as the grace to sing praises to Jesus Christ; David the Psalmist entrusted his songs specifically to the sons of Korah, rather than to the descendants of Moses or Aaron, who held high positions.

For instance, in the Maschil psalm sung by the sons of Korah—which speaks of the Trinity regarding the Lord Jesus Christ—they refer to the "right hand of God," the "arm of God," and the "light of God's countenance." In doing so, they sing that our Savior, Jesus Christ—the Word—is not merely the Son of the Word, but is also the Son of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit - 1.O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old: 2.you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; 3.for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them. 4.You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob! - Psalms 44:1-4

Furthermore, when speaking of the Lord's sufferings on the cross, the words "You have given us up as sheep to be devoured" are sung in the plural; this is because the Son of the Word, the Son of the Father, and the Son of the Holy Spirit had to taste death for our sake. - 5.Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us. 6.For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. 7.But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. 8.In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah 9.But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies. 10.You have made us turn back from the foe, and those who hate us have gotten spoil. 11.You have made us like sheep for slaughter and have scattered us among the nations. 12.You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them - Psalms 44:5-12


Furthermore, the prophecy that the Lord—who tasted death for our sake—must rise again is expressed in the words: "Lord, awake! Why do You sleep?"- 13.You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us. 14.You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples. 15.All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face 16.at the sound of the taunter and reviler, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. 17.All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant. 18.Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way; 19.yet you have broken us in the place of jackals and covered us with the shadow of death. 20.If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21.would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. 22.Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 23.Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! 24.Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? 25.For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground. 26.Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! - Psalms 44:13-26


Next Chapter: Elijah's Explanation