In Parsha Korach the status quo is challenged leading to a defining between what Hashem has decreed and what the people have decided to take upon themselves.
Bamidbar 16:3. They assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do raise yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"
This appears on the surface to be a valid question. Yes the entire congregation is holy and yet Korach's remarks fail to take into account what has made them holy; that is the sanctification by the very Kohanim they are trying to usurp. Look at the context this takes place in.
Last week the spies all perished and the people's foolhardy invasion of the Promised Land ended in disaster. This generation of which Korach was a part of was condemned to live out their lives in the desert because of the sins of the spies which the people acquiesced to.
In the face of such events Korach and his company protest. It is the height foolhardiness and stubbornness to think that somehow they could assume responsibility for a congregation that strayed at every turn. What their rebellion turns out to be about is simply power for the sake of power with no other saving grace.
Moshe pleads with them and asks them to abandon their course of action but they are intransigent and insist upon once more testing Hashem.
Bamidbar 16: 19. Korach assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord appeared before the entire congregation.
It is showdown time. Hashem wants to destroy the entire congregation but once again Moshe intercedes and tells the people to move away from Korach and the two hundred fifty leaders with him. The people quickly move out of the way.
Bamidbar:16: 33. They, and all they possessed, descended alive into the grave; the earth covered them up, and they were lost to the assembly.
Korach, Dathan, and Abiram the ring leaders of the two hundred and fifty are all swallowed up along with their families and like it says all they possessed. Next the two hundred and fifty are consumed by fire and are no more.
The following day the people come to Moshe and complain about those that were killed. Because of this the cloud descends upon the Mishkan and Hashem again tells Moshe he will destroy the congregation. Moshe intercedes again as well.
Bamidbar 17: 13. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague ceased.
Because of Moshe's intercession and Aaron's actions with the censer standing between the people their plague is averted although many too die as a result of their complaining.
What is going on here? Consider how consciousness takes hold of an idea and tests it against all other ideas until it becomes a conceptual reality. Once an idea becomes supreme it then leads in terms of making sense of everything else that follows from this idea.
Moshe introduces the ideas of freedom combined with spirituality which means the people have to make choices in their lives. They have to choose to follow Hashem, do the mitzvoth and basically do the right thing by each other. The success of this idea is that Israel is liberated from Egypt, given the Ten Commandments and offered the Promised Land in which to practice their faith.
Seemingly Moshe is challenged right from the beginning by the Golden Calf, the waters of Meribah, the spies, and now this challenge. Every time Moshe prevails through Hashem and ends up saving Israel from complete destruction by interceding on their behalf.
In Consciousness we maintain our focus reaching up for Hashem and casting aside our doubts. Hashem will always prevail since ultimately the pinpoint of that focus is centered on the One.
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