Good morning. In keeping with our practice of bringing a Bible character into focus each Thursday, today we will consider a rather obscure Biblical figure whose name is Korah. My brother Dan, who is studying the Book of Numbers in his personal devotions (that is a statement that isn’t made too often) suggested that Korah might be the source of an interesting story.
To begin, we need some context: The Lord had led the people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the wilderness while miraculously sustaining them, and finally He brought them to the threshold of the Promised Land. They sent 12 men to spy out the land. 10 returned to say that the land was wonderful, just as the Lord had promised, but the land was held by fortified cities, armies, and gigantic warriors. Their report was that it was a wasted trip, no way could the Israelites conquer such a land. Only 2 of the 12, Joshua and Caleb, came back with the correct response, “If the Lord is with us then surely, He will see that we are protected and victorious.” The people cried “If only we had stayed in Egypt!” and wanted to kill the 2 faithful spies. Their wailing and rebellion continued, and God suggested to Moses that He should kill them all and do a restart with Moses. Moses begged for God’s mercy and God relented. But God tells the people that due to their lack of faith they would spend the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness, until all who lacked faith were dead and gone. You can read the shorter history of these events in Numbers 13-14.
To say that the Israelites were an ungrateful and unruly bunch would be an understatement. One of God’s first requirements for the people was to establish His commands for worship. Proper worship would be vital in holding the people together and keeping them mindful of our Mighty God.
This is where the short story of Korah son of Izhar comes in. Korah and some others “became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.” Numbers 16:1-2 Their complaint was that these rules for worship (which had placed Moses as the chief leader and spokesman for God, and Aaron as the one who would guide worship) weren’t reasonable. We read the complaint of Korah in Num. 16:3 “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
Korah’s complaint is that Moses and Aaron had usurped authority. He, and those with him, had convinced themselves that Moses and Aaron had no right to be in charge. Their argument was that every Israelite is equally holy, and therefore just as worthy, so why did they think they should be in charge of worship? It is my suspicion that what Korah and his followers were thinking was that it was through worship that a person drew near to God. Since it was God’s power that made all the difference, if they could take over worship, they would be the ones to wield God’s power.
What is obvious is that they shared a complete failure in recognizing the truth of the will of God, the presence of God, and the power of God. If you took God’s living presence out of the equation, their human argument might make some sense. After all, Moses was 80 years old, and Aaron wasn’t much younger. Korah and the young men with him felt they were physically stronger and therefore had the right to lead.
You might suppose that Moses would hit the roof in anger over such insolence. But he doesn’t. God leads him to propose a simple test. If they wanted to take charge of worship, fine. But first, put coals and incense in censers and see who the Lord will recognize.
In the midst of these arguments two of the stubborn minded would-be leaders say to Moses “ Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us!” Numbers 16:13 Amazingly, they are blaming Moses for their failure to enter the promised land! Note the complete absence of recognizing God’s will while they assume that it is Moses and Aaron who are making all the rules.
The next day Korah and his 250 followers gathered at the entrance to the tabernacle, and many of the people had joined them. God tells Moses to stand back. Perhaps it was the tone of His voice, but Moses and Aaron throw themselves to the ground to beg for the lives of the people. God’s anger is held back to a point, but Moses tells the people that they should move well away from Korah and his followers. Good advice! God opened a hole in the ground and Korah and those who had followed him were swallowed up whole, and then the earth closed in over their heads.
So much for Korah son of Izhar and all who dared follow him!
The reason his story is important for us to consider is that people shutting God out from their plans continues to be a terrible problem. Leaders who refuse to seek God’s will push for their own way, often while quoting scripture and pretending that they represent the will of God. This is true of some government officials, and it can be true of church leadership as well. There are leaders who have turned away from God’s Word, who refuse to come to Him in humility, and who look to God as more of a figurehead from whom they claim power than as the Lord of their lives.
Don’t be a Korah! Seek God in humility and accept His commands willingly. They are given in wisdom and in love!
Vern