Numbers 16:20-21 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”
I want to point my finger at people demonstrate a high level of stubbornness and say, “Wake up! Stop being so stubborn. Can’t you see?” But when someone is this stubborn, no amount of finger wagging will change their mind or the direction of their will. Ask the parent of any teenager, they will tell you the same thing.
“Don’t waste your breath” we used to say in these situations. No amount of talking will make a difference. When the heart is set on a course of action, it is very difficult to move it to a different course with external forces. It must be an internal shift.
Our text finds us once again at a moment of rebellion in the life is Israel as they are now circling the dessert because of an earlier rebellion. They have rejected the LORD’s lordship. They rejected the report of the two spies who reported, not only the abundance of the Land, but also the faithfulness of the LORD to protect them and provide for them.
And now there are three second tier leaders among the Levites who have gotten the idea that they should be in charge rather than Moses and Aaron. And as rebellious leaders normally do, they have stirred the pot and gather others who have aspirations above their calling. They want to seize power for themselves, never a good thing.
Those who seize power get addicted to power and want an ever increasing amount of it. Just look at the world today. Those in power are having a hard time releasing it back to the people across the globe. The virus was the excuse, and the addition to power drives the demand.
So it was with the three ringleaders of Korah’s rebellion. They thought they were trying to seize power from Moses and Aaron, but Moses and Aaron realized that they didn’t have any power, that all their power was borrowed power, that the LORD was the One in charge. They knew what humility meant, not only academically, but practically in everyday life.
So once again, the LORD wants to clean the ranks of rebellion, but Moses steps into the gap, pleading for mercy.
The LORD is always looking for someone to stand in this gap, to be willing to sacrifice themselves for others. Moses is such a man. But even Moses fails, as we will discover.
There is a theme in the Hebrew Scriptures from page three, that the LORD will raise up a man to stand in the gap. They will be wounded in the battle, but the enemy will be crushed. And this then is played out again and again as the LORD raises up another leader.
As we read our text, we might think that the LORD is being unfair, capricious, arbitrary, childish. It could seem that He is reacting out of some emotion, like we too often do. But His motives are far different than ours might be if we were in His shoes.
The LORD is acting to protect His people from the infection of sin and rebellion that is manifesting itself in these leaders. The people have seen His power and provision for well over a year now as they have journeyed out of Egypt. They know He is able to lift up and to destroy. They have seen the Egyptian soldiers drown in the Sea at the breath of the LORD. They should know better!
If only we would learn from their mistakes! Or even our own! Obedience is always a better choice than rebellion, even if rebellion brings temporary power. Give up the power! It will only corrupt and lead to even more rebellion against the LORD.
The Arnold Journey 