8. Rebellion against Moses' Leadership (Numbers 11-17)
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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James J. Tissot, "The Grapes of Canaan" (1896-1900), watercolor,
Jewish Museum, New York.
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The Israelite camp is on the move again, and with
this new challenges emerge.
Moses had met challenges before, but it seems like
later in his ministry he meets rebellion in several forms: from his
kinsmen, from his sister, and from the people as a whole. Let's see what
we can learn.
Before long, people started complaining again.
"Now the people complained about their
hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger
was aroused." (Numbers 11:1)
God punished their complaining with fire at
Taberah, but that didn't seem to stop them.
The next complaints were about manna and began with
some of the non-Israelites who had left Egypt with them (Exodus 12:38;
Leviticus 24:10-11), referred to here as "rabble."1
"4 The rabble with them began
to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said,
'If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in
Egypt at no cost -- also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything
but this manna!'" (Numbers 11:4-6)
They start salivating when they remember all
the tasty variety of foods they had in Egypt. It's interesting that even
a few complainers in a group can spread the complaining spirit to
others. It is a general dissatisfaction with one's condition, but often
the general dissatisfaction latches onto some specific issue -- in this
case, manna, boring manna. The complaints of a few had infected the
camp.
"Moses heard the people of every family
wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly
angry, and Moses was troubled." (Numbers 11:10)
Now Moses brings the problems to the Lord in a kind
of petulant way.
"11 He asked the LORD, 'Why
have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to
displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?
12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth?
Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an
infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers?
13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep
wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!'14 I cannot carry all
these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15
If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right
now -- if I have found favor in your eyes -- and do not let me face my
own ruin.'" (Numbers 11:11-15)
This is not one of Moses' greatest leadership
moments. He blames God for the problems. They're your problem, he tells
God. Why do I have to deal with your problem people? At the root of
Moses' misery, however, are two elements:
- The burden of leadership is too heavy for him.
- He knows he is inadequate to supply what the people are
demanding.
Moses is at his wits end. Unless God backs him up, he can't "face
[his] own ruin." God answers Moses in two ways:
- God puts some of his Spirit on 70 of Israel's elders (which we
examined in Lesson 4, Numbers 11:24-30)
- God promises abundant meat (Numbers 11:31-34)
God's promise of a month's supply of meat is
so huge even Moses can't believe it. (Numbers 11:21-22). Moses' vision
of God is too small! Then God rebukes Moses and tells him to tell the
people what he said, even if he can't envision it!
"The LORD answered Moses, 'Is the
LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say
will come true for you.' So Moses went out and told the people what the
LORD had said." (Numbers 11:23-24a)
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Q1. (Numbers 11:11-15) Why do you think
Moses is so frustrated in his prayer? What do you think is going
on in him emotionally and physically at this point? Does he have
any grounds for his complaints? Do you think this
is designed to be a model prayer? Why are we shown this prayer?
How did God answer him?
http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1062
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For God, providing meat wasn't a problem.
"Now a wind went out from the LORD and
drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to
about three feet above the ground, as far as a day's walk in any
direction." (Numbers 11:31)
These people who had demanded "other food" in their
unbelief, now have much more than they can even eat. It begins to spoil,
and many of them die from food poisoning, a "severe plague" from the
Lord.2
Now his own brother and sister begin to criticize
Moses.
"1 Miriam and Aaron began to
talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a
Cushite.
2 'Has the LORD spoken only
through Moses?' they asked. 'Hasn't he also spoken through us?' And the
LORD heard this. 3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more
humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)" (Numbers 12:1-3)
Who is this Cushite wife? Zipporah or some new
wife? We're not sure. Cush (kûsh) can refer to (1) Nubia, the
area along the Nile south of Egypt,3
(2) a people in Mesopotamia,4 or (3) just possibly, Midian.5
If Cush here refers to an area near Midian, then
perhaps the wife Miriam is criticizing is Zipporah herself, who wasn't
an Israelite. But why would Miriam wait so long to bring this up? If
this wife is Nubian, then she wouldn't be Zipporah, but a second wife,
perhaps one of the "mixed multitude" or "rabble" that left Egypt with
the Israelites. If she were Nubian, some have speculated that she was
discriminated against because of her race. She would have had a very
dark complexion, but "the people living along the southern border of
Egypt were not distinctively Negroid" in their features.6
However, Moses' wife only seems to be a smokescreen
for the real issue: a challenge by Miriam and Aaron to Moses' role as
God's authoritative spokesman.
''Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?'
they asked. 'Hasn't he also spoken through us?''(Numbers 12:2)
We see power struggles throughout the Bible: Saul's
paranoid fear of David, the disciples' argument about which of them was
the greatest, and Simon Magnus who wants to merchandise the Holy Spirit
(Acts 8:9-25).
It's not uncommon in churches for people to
challenge the authority of the senior pastor. Sometimes the challenge is
from an associate pastor, sometimes from a long-time member of the
church who struggles to retain power in the church and can't submit to
the pastor's authority. Richard Foster observes:
"Power can destroy or create. The power
that destroys demands ascendancy; it demands total control. It destroys
relationships; it destroys trust; it destroys dialogue; it destroys
integrity."7
Pride is at the root of many struggles for power.
"I'm better than you." "I deserve this." "I want to be perceived as Number
One." The lust for power can become all-consuming.
The narrator tells us parenthetically,
"Now Moses was a very humble8 man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." (Numbers
12:3)
Moses is the meekest man in all the earth because he does not seek
power -- or even want it! God has afflicted him with leadership of a
disobedient people, and he seeks to be relieved from it (Numbers
11:11-15). He remains in leadership out of obedience, not because of his
need for self-aggrandizement.
Jesus taught us to be meek.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle (KJV 'meek') and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls." (Matthew 11:29)
The Greek word used is praus,
"pertaining to not being overly impressed by a sense of one's
self-importance, gentle, humble, considerate, meek," in the older
favorable sense.9
The disciples were incensed at James and John
seeking to be seated at Jesus' right and left hand in his Kingdom. Jesus
used this as a teaching moment to instruct his disciples on leadership
conducted with true humility.
"Jesus called them together and said, 'You
know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over
them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must
be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For
even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many.'" (Mark 10:42-45)
It is healthy to have a
good sense and acceptance of who you are, what psychologists call "ego
strength." But when we are compelled to continually assert our
self-importance, it is usually a sign of weakness and neediness, rather
than of strength. Could it be said of you that you are the humblest
leader in your city or region? If not, why not?
The Lord called for Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to come to the Tent of Meeting and met them in a pillar of cloud. He
contrasts a prophet's revelation in visions and dreams with Moses' experience of God:
"7b [Moses] is faithful in all
my house. 8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in
riddles; he sees the form10 of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant
Moses?" (Numbers 12:7-8)
"Faithful" is
ʾāman. The root idea is firmness or certainty, as we might
describe a person as a "solid" leader. The Niphal participle here means
"to be faithful, sure, dependable."11 God can count on Moses -- unlike Aaron who vacillated when Moses was on
the mountain and caused great harm to the nation. Aaron and Miriam knew
about God; Moses knew God personally!
Now the Lord asks why Aaron and Miriam weren't
afraid to speak against Moses, since he is the Lord's personal servant.
Earlier Aaron had seen God's glory on Moses' face.
"When Aaron and all the Israelites saw
Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him." (Exodus 34:30)
God watches out for his servants. Of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, God says through the psalmist:
"Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm." (Psalm 105:15; 2 Chronicles 16:22)
David feared God so much that he would not
raise his hand against the Lord's anointed -- king Saul -- even though
Saul was evil and corrupt.12
When the cloud lifts, Miriam has leprosy. Aaron
pleads for mercy from Moses, confessing his and Miriam's sins.
"Please, my lord, do not hold against us
the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be
like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh
half eaten away." (Numbers 12:11b-12)
Moses asks God to heal her, but God says:
"If her father had spit in her face, would
she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the
camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." (Numbers
12:14)
If a daughter had been disciplined by her
father (Deuteronomy 25:9; Isaiah 50:6), the Lord says, she would have
been held in a state of public humiliation for seven days. So then
Miriam will spend seven days13 outside the camp, which is to be holy. Only then can she be restored to
her status as a leader.
When leaders commit serious sin in our
congregations, after they repent we are sometimes too quick to restore
them to leadership. It is appropriate sometimes for leaders to be
rebuked publically and be removed from their leadership roles for a
period "so that the rest also may stand in fear" (1 Timothy 5:20). Good
order requires a consequence for rebellion.
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Q2. (Numbers 12) What was Miriam's and
Aaron's motivation for speaking against Moses? Why do people
seeking power feel a need to discredit the existing leader? How
did Moses handle this provocation? How might he have handled it
if he were a proud man? How did the Lord handle it?
http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1063
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Miriam's and Aaron's rebellion was minor compared
to what happened next. Their rebellion only affected them and their
followers. But the rebellion that occurred on the border of Canaan
altered the history of the nation.
The Israelites are encamped at Kadesh-Barnea
(Numbers 13:26), a desert town to the south of Canaan. From there Moses
commissions an expedition.
"1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 'Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving
to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.'3 So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the
Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites." (Numbers
13:1-3)
Of the twelve, only the names of Caleb (tribe of
Judah) and Joshua (tribe of Benjamin) are familiar to us today. Their
instructions are to conduct surveillance to determine:
- Character of the land and its fruitfulness
- Strength and numbers of the populations
- Fortification of towns and cities
- Forestation
So they travelled the land from south to north,14 a distance of about 250 miles each way and were gone 40 days. On the way
back they harvested a massive cluster of grapes in the Valley of Eschol
and carried it home on a pole between two people.15
Here was their report:
"27 We went into the land to
which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its
fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the
cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak
there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites,
Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live
near the sea and along the Jordan." (Numbers 13:27-29)
They all agreed on the facts of the report.
It was at the point of interpretation that they differed. Caleb
(with Joshua) looked with eyes of faith:
"We should go up and take possession of
the land, for we can certainly do it." (Numbers 13:31)
But the ten other spies looked with eyes of
unbelief and "spread among the Israelites a bad report about
the land they had explored."
"31 We can't attack those
people; they are stronger than we are…. 32 The land we
explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of
great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of
Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own
eyes, and we looked the same to them." (Numbers 13:31-33)
The report of the unbelieving spies spread
throughout the camp sparking fear, angry grumbling, and weeping. Again
they blamed Moses and Aaron -- and the Lord -- for bringing them out of
Egypt. Their only prospect was fed by their fears:
- Men would "fall by the sword"
- Women and children would be "taken as plunder"
Their conclusion was all-out rebellion:
"We should choose a leader and go back to
Egypt." (Numbers 14:4b)
Not only were the people prepared to select
another leader. They talked of stoning Moses and Aaron (14:10), that is,
killing them! They were serious!
Joshua and Caleb, the believing spies, pleaded with
the people, seeking to build their faith:
"The land we passed through and explored
is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us,
he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and
honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel
against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land,
because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone,
but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." (Numbers
14:7b-9)
Observe their positive faith:
- The Lord will lead us into the land. This is Yahweh's
promise and he will fulfill it.16
- We will consume the people. "We will swallow them
up" (NIV), "they are no more than bread for us" (NRSV, cf.
KJV)
- Their protection has been removed.17 Their fortifications and weaponry are not sufficient.
- The Lord is with us. This theme ricochets throughout the
Old and New Testaments.18
Observe also their warnings:
- Do not rebel.19
- Do not be afraid of the people of the land.
It is important to see the close relationship
between unbelief, fear, and rebellion. When we believe our circumstances
more than we believe God's promises, then we are afraid to follow God,
and, indeed, rebel against him and go our own way.
Christian leaders will do well to minister to
people's fears with faith, if they desire to lead them forward to God's
plan for them and for a local congregation. In this case, however,
Joshua and Caleb were not able to stem the tide of fear, and it swept
across the people.
Though the people were preparing to stone Moses and
Aaron, God's servants were protected by a show of force by Yahweh that
paralyzed them:
"Then the glory of the LORD appeared at
the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites." (Numbers 14:10b)
As we saw in Exodus 16: 7, 10 in
Lesson 4, an
appearance of the glory of the Lord was often accompanied by God's
judgment. Yahweh says to Moses:
"11 How long will these people
treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in
spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? 12
I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will
make you into a nation greater and stronger than they." (Numbers
14:11-12)
God is disgusted with the people's contempt,20
And not only their fear, but their steadfast unbelief in the face of
many miracles God had performed for them. God says to Moses that he will
destroy the Israelites, and from Moses' descendants raise up an even
greater nation. This solution would keep Yahweh's covenant with Abraham
to raise up descendants and give them the land.
Moses had interceded for the people with God three
times after the golden calf incident at Sinai.21 Now he intercedes once again. Moses appeals to the Lord on several
grounds:
- God's glory. The Egyptians and Canaanites will hear about
it, and God's previous reputation will be hurt. It would be claimed that
since he couldn't bring the people into the land, he killed them
(14:13-16).
- God's character. God's character had been spoken to Moses
when the glory of God came before him in the cleft of the rock: He both
loves and forgives sin and rebellion (Exodus 34:5-7). Moses recites
God's words back to him.
God answered Moses according to the statement of
character Moses had claimed before him.
- Forgiveness. God forgives the people, that is, he will
allow the people of Israel, not just the descendants of Moses, to be the
heirs of the promise. He will not hold the sin against the people as a
whole.
- Punishment. The 10 leaders who brought the bad report that
precipitated the general unbelief were punished with sudden death.
"These men
responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down
and died of a plague before the LORD." (Numbers 14:37)
The whole generation of unbelievers, the parents, are punished by not
being allowed to enter the Promised Land.
"In this desert
your bodies will fall -- every one of you twenty years old or more who
was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of
you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home…
For forty years -- one year for each of the forty days you explored the
land -- you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me
against you." (Numbers 14:29-30)
- Visiting the sins of fathers on the children. Though their
children will ultimately enter the Promised Land, they must suffer for
their parents' sins. "Your children will
be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness,
until the last of your bodies lies in the desert." (Numbers 14:33-34)
Israel's sins keep them from entering the Promised
Land (14:22-23):
- Disobedience
- Testing God
- Treating God with contempt
The exceptions are Caleb and Joshua:
"But because my servant Caleb has a
different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into
the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." (Numbers
14:24)
"Wholeheartedly" (NIV, NRSV) is the Piel stem of
mālēʾ,
"be full, to fill, literally "to be after fully" (KJV). This
phrase "to follow wholeheartedly" is mentioned alongside Caleb
thereafter. He becomes known as the man who followed the Lord fully.22 What a wonderful legacy!
Now the people are commanded:
"Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are
living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert
along the route to the Red Sea." (Numbers 14:25)
They were to leave Kadesh-Barnea. Wenham
makes a striking observation.
"Geographically, this probably
means they were to head southeast from Kadesh towards the Gulf of
Aqabah, one of the recognized north-south routes across the Sinai
Peninsula.
But theologically, 'the way to the
Red Sea' suggests they are returning to Egypt. Typical of the irony of
this story, their punishment is made to fit the crime. They wanted to
die in the wilderness and return to Egypt [Numbers 14:2-4]: in a way
rather different from the one they intended, God grants their request."23
The people receive the news that they will never
enter Canaan with anguish: "they mourned bitterly" (14:39). Then in
unbelief of God's word of judgment, they disobey yet again and compound
the tragedy.
"Early the next morning they went up
toward the high hill country. 'We have sinned,' they said. 'We will go
up to the place the LORD promised'… In their presumption24 they went up toward the high hill country…. Then the Amalekites and
Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked25 them and beat them down26 all the way to Hormah." (Numbers 14:40, 44-45)
As I ponder this refusal of the people to enter
Canaan, one of the turning points of the Exodus, I see a number of
lessons for us, both as followers of God and as leaders of his people.
- Godly leaders must possess faith, not just influence. Each
of the 12 spies was a recognized leader in his tribe. Each saw the same
surveillance data, but they came to different conclusions as they
analyzed the data. Joshua and Caleb saw the data through the faith-lens
of God's promises. The remaining 10 saw the data through the
unbelief-blinders that inspired fear.
Perhaps
you've been in congregations that select their leaders by whatever warm
bodies can be found to fill the positions required by the bylaws. What a
huge mistake! The leaders must be people of faith or the result may be
tragic for the congregation! Leaders need to be "full of the Holy Spirit
and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3) and, like Barnabas, "full of the Holy Spirit
and faith" (Acts 11:24).
- The majority doesn't necessarily discern God's will. Though
the surveillance team's "vote" was 10-2 in favor of abandoning the
conquest, the majority was wrong. We must seek God for his will, not
just count heads!
- Leaders have a strong influence on the people who respect
them. Here, the influence of the ten prevailed not only on their
tribes, but on an entire nation to its detriment. Influence doesn't
always work positively.
- Fear opposes faith. The fear propagated by the ten spread
like wildfire throughout the camp and panicked the people. Fear is
the opposite of faith. When we allow ourselves -- either personally
or as a body -- to be led by fear rather than faith, we'll go wrong
every time. Fear is one of the most powerful tools Satan uses
against God's people, since it negates faith and renders people weak
(2 Timothy 1:7).
- Leaders calm fearful people with faith statements. Though
it was not effective on this occasion, both Caleb and Joshua combated
fear through words of faith.
- Rebellion against authority can be spawned by fear.
Sometimes rebellion is caused by envy or by a lust for power. But it can
also be caused by fear -- an extremely powerful emotion.
- Leaders must intercede on behalf of their people's sins.
Here again, Moses intercedes fervently for the people of Israel, based
on God's word -- his glory and his character. Too seldom do pastors
actually intercede for their congregations before God. They take
corporate sin and unbelief too lightly. They usually approach God in complaint instead of
in intercessory prayer.
- God can forgive the congregation while punishing the offenders.
While the sin of leaders can cripple a congregation's future, God can
still bless the congregation, though it takes time. But God will hold
leaders accountable for how they "build on this foundation using gold,
silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw" (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
- The sins of the congregation's fathers are visited upon future
generations. How we build is crucial, since it will affect the whole
shape of the church, even years after we are gone. What we sow, our
"children" will reap -- unless God is gracious to bring a revival to
transform a crippled congregation.
- Some decisions cannot be undone. When the people heard of
their punishment to die in the wilderness for their unbelief, they tried
to undo their former decision and enter the land -- but without God's
blessing and presence. One of the sad lessons of the Bible is that we
must obey God when he speaks to us. It is sometimes too late to obey
later. The writer of Hebrews reminds us:
"See that no
one … is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance
rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to
inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change
of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears." (Hebrews 12:16-17)
- We must follow the Lord wholeheartedly. Caleb is held up for
us as one who followed the Lord fully. And he was eventually rewarded by
not only entering the Promised Land, but also possessing the city of
Hebron, the home of the giants who had inspired so much fear in the camp
of Israel (Joshua 14:6-15).
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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to
enter the Promised Land so serious? What did it represent on the
people's part? What did it represent on the Lord's part? In your
opinion, was the punishment too severe? Why or why not? If the
people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt
to Canaan have taken?
http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1064
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The final leadership challenge of this troubled
period in Moses' ministry came from members of his own tribe and from a
coalition of leaders from many tribes.
"1 Korah … the son of Levi, and
certain Reubenites … became insolent 2 and rose up against
Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders
who had been appointed members of the council.
3 They came as a group to
oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, '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?'" (Numbers
16:1-3)
The issue was who could serve as priests. Korah and
his clan members were Levites, but not priests. The Levites had various
duties that they fulfilled regarding the tabernacle. For example, as a
Kohathite, descendents of Levi's son Kohath, Korah's clan was
"... Responsible for the care of the
sanctuary…. for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the
altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain,
and everything related to their use." (Numbers 3:28, 31)
When it came time for the camp to move, this
clan packed and carried the most holy things.
But now the Levites, whom Korah represented, wanted
to have the status of priests, to offer sacrifices as was only permitted
to the priests, the sons of Aaron (who himself was a descendant of
Levi). Moses says,
"Now listen, you Levites! 9
Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from
the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do
the work at the LORD's tabernacle and to stand before the community and
minister to them? 10 He has brought you and all your fellow
Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too."
(Numbers 16:8b-10)
Korah and his coalition
"… came as a group to oppose Moses and
Aaron and said to them, '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?'" (Numbers 16:3)
Moses and Aaron are being accused of pride, of
setting themselves above27 the people. Furthermore, Korah and his followers are questioning Moses' statements that only the priests are permitted to minister with regard
to the most holy things -- offering sacrifices and burning incense before
the Lord. Korah argued.
"The whole community is holy, every one of
them, and the LORD is with them." (Numbers 16:3)
What Korah asserted was true, so far as it
went. Indeed, the Lord had declared the whole people set apart to him.
"You will be for me a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:6a)
And the promise of the Lord's presence was
made for the entire people as well (Exodus 33:14).
The problem was that Korah was quoting the selected
passages that made his point, but was ignoring the detailed instructions
that the Lord had spoken through Moses regarding the distinctions
between the priests and Levites (Exodus 29:8-9, 41, 44; Leviticus 8). He
was questioning that Moses had actually spoken God's words accurately.
But, since Moses had written God's words accurately, Korah and
his coalition were questioning God himself. This was rebellion against
God!
Moses realizes that Korah's company is speaking
blasphemy against God -- and would bring a terrible judgment on many. Moses fell
facedown to humble himself before the Lord in the face of judgment. Then
he said to Korah:
"It is against the LORD that you and all
your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should
grumble against him?" (Numbers 16:11)
When Moses summons the
Reubenite leaders of the coalition, Dathan and Abiram, they refuse to
come. Perhaps their motive was that they felt slighted in leadership,
even though Reuben had been Jacob's firstborn (Genesis 49:3-4). They may
have wanted a greater role in leadership, we're just not sure.
Nevertheless, they accuse Moses of:
- Seeking to kill the people in the desert.
- Lording it over the people.28
- Failing to lead the people into the abundance of Canaan.
- Punishing rebellion with torture (Numbers 16:13-14).
Moses commands each of 250 rebels in the coalition
to bring a censer with fire and incense to present before the Lord in
the morning.
"When Korah had gathered all his followers
in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory
of the LORD appeared to the entire assembly." (Numbers 16:20)
Moses and Aaron immediately prostrate themselves
before the Lord and intercede loudly for the people of Israel to avert
judgment upon all:
"O God, God of the spirits of all
mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man
sins?" (Numbers 16:22)
The earth then splits apart and swallows Korah and
all his men -- with their households -- and then closes over them. The 250
leaders who are offering incense before the Lord are struck with "fire
from the Lord" and consumed.
The Israelites flee in terror, but the next day the
whole Israelite community grumbles against Moses and Aaron and accuses
them: "You have killed the LORD's people" (Numbers 16:41). The rebellion
that had begun with Korah and 250 leaders had now infected the entire
people. The glory of the Lord appears again, and with it, impending
judgment.
God threatens to kill the entire assembly of
rebels. Again, Moses and Aaron fall prostrate to seek God's mercy. Moses
tells Aaron to take fire from the altar with his censer and make
atonement for the people's sins. "Wrath has come out from the LORD," he
tells Aaron. "The plague has started" (16:46).
"47 So Aaron did as Moses said,
and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started
among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement29 for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and
the plague stopped." (Numbers 16:47-48)
Even so, 14,700 people died before the plague
had ceased. The people as a whole had begun to rebel against Moses and
Aaron, and the people suffered a great punishment!
Because the whole assembly had become involved in
this rebellion -- and Moses was accused of killing the people previously
when the Lord had brought judgment, one final miracle is necessary to
settle the matter. The Lord said, "I will rid myself of this constant
grumbling against you by the Israelites" (Numbers 17:5).
The leader of each of the 12 tribes is asked to
bring the leader's staff and inscribe his name on it. These are placed
before the Tent of Meeting in front of the ark of the covenant. The next
day, the rods were the same as before except for Aaron's, which "had not
only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds" (Numbers
17:8). Aaron's rod was kept in front of the ark "as a sign to the
rebellious." The Lord said:
"This will put an end to their grumbling
against me, so that they will not die." (Numbers 17:10)
God has made his point: Aaron and his sons are his choice to be the
ones to represent the people before the Lord -- and no others! Others
who attempt to approach God in the tabernacle will die. At long last,
the Israelites come to possess appropriate fear of usurping the
authority of Moses and the priests and thus offending God; but the cost
in lives has been great (Numbers 17:12-13).
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Q4. (Numbers 17) What was the root
cause of Korah's rebellion? Which of their accusations were true
or partially true? Why is challenging the authority of a
spiritual leader so dangerous to the challengers? How is
intercession for a sinful people such an important part of a
leader's job?
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This has been a discouraging chapter -- as it was a
discouraging chapter in Moses' life. But some periods of our lives are
like that. It seems like one thing after another, one setback after
another. Sometimes we can't look far ahead, but must take it day by day.
Nevertheless, through it all, God is present in our lives. And though
our route to the Promised Land may seem long and sometimes delayed, God
will keep his promises to us and to his people, of that we can be sure!
This lesson reminds me of Andraé Crouch's song,
"Through It All":
I've had many tears and sorrows,
I've had questions for tomorrow,
There've been times I didn't know right from wrong.
But in every situation, God gave me blessed consolation,
That my trials come to only make me strong.
Through it all, through it all,
I've learned to trust in Jesus,
I've learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all,
I've learned to depend upon His Word.30
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for your presence with us in our
trials and times of high stress and difficulty. Teach us to lead your
people through those periods as well as through the easy days. And help us to know you better as we walk with you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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