God's Theocracy

Numbers 16:1-4 -  Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben—took  two hundred fifty Israelite men, leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men, and they confronted Moses.  They assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, "You have gone too far! All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. So why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?"  When Moses heard it, he fell on his face.

 

Korah…three of his closest friends…and 250 leaders from all the other Israelites…went to Moses and Aaron that day.  They came with jealousy…they came with pompous attitudes…they came with ideas of creating a democracy. They sure did not understand the meaning of the word ‘holy’… and they had no concept of humility either. Moses...he just falls to his knees in prayer to God.

 

Maybe Korah was focused on the failures of the people so far.  Maybe Korah remembered the luxurious life of the Egyptian priests that ruled the land of Egypt.  Maybe he thought his job of carrying the tabernacle’s holy furnishings was not important enough.  Maybe he allowed Satan to trick him ..the way he had tricked Eve…into thinking that God really did not mean what he said….into thinking that his Earthly idea of a democracy would be better than the divine theocracy he had created for Moses.

 

The problem with Korah’s concept of democracy is that the government would be controlled  by people. It just wouldn’t work…and God knew this from the beginning. So he continued to use Moses to teach these people a lesson…a hard one…about letting God’s theocracy form a reverence and fear in our hearts…so that Satan is not allowed to twist our attitudes…so that we can be content in what he has given us…and listen to the leadership he sends to give us direction.

 

It was a long day for Moses and Aaron…their hearts must have burst with sadness as they watched God first allow the Earth to split open and swallow up Korah…his friends…and the 250 leaders that had followed him instead of God.  And the frustration they felt as they heard the murmurings afterward…must have sent him into prayer mode once again. Moses lost another 14,700 people to the plague God sent…before he sent Aaron into the midst of them with an incense filled censer….to atone for their sins and stop God’s wrath against them.

 

We may live in a country where the people have decided to govern themselves with the majority vote. I admit…I do enjoy the freedoms…and liberties that come with this great nation I was born. But…I am reminded by this chapter in Numbers that the last word will be God’s. He can still swallow any one group of us up in one moment as the Earth quakes and splits before us….or maybe just wipe a great number of us out with a great wind on one of our coastlines….or worse yet allow a terrorist to slam planes into some of our great structures and kills thousands.

 

I am not pompous enough…or bible enriched enough…or remotely prayerful enough …like the great Moses… to say that God sent all of these calamities to us as lessons in theocracy.  But I do believe he allows them…to make sure we know that he has the last word…and that all these things fit into a bigger picture that none of us will ever see fully or understand enough in this lifetime.  I admit that I am a Korah…just looking out for myself most days…trying to understand how I can make my life the most comfortable and easy I can. God help me to fix this …to fall on my knees and make atonement before I am in the next group of people he allows to learn a hard lesson in theocracy.

 

Father…forgive me for my selfishness once again this morning. I need you to remove the thoughts that try to convince me that I am more important than the work you need me to do. Give me a heart like Moses that seeks you in prayer…that waits on you to answer and give me direction…that prays for others that are even trying to hurt me.  Give me the feet and ears of Aaron …that run to do what you have called me to do….to stop the spread of Satan’s lies…and spread the sweet love of God to all that I meet. Amen.