Do you remember the verse from last week’s lesson in Jude that referenced some Old Testament characters named Cain, Balaam and Korah? It was verse 11 and this is what it says:
“Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.”
The point about Jude’s letter to the churches was that there were men in the community spreading doctrinal lies and causing dissension . To make his point, Jude referred to three Old Testament examples of men who wreaked similar havoc among God’s people. Since I just happened to be reading through the book of Numbers this week, I got to discover that God wanted me to revisit Korah’s story in particular!
Because the format of these lessons is short, there’s no way we can explore all the references from one part of Scripture to another. However, when God makes His timing so clear and combines it with a life lesson I’ve been learning personally, it certainly merits circling back and taking a second look.
Korah’s whole story is found in Numbers 16 and it rivals any Lifetime Channel made-for-TV movie you’ve ever had the horror/pleasure of watching, I assure you. The Israelites are still in the desert, escaping from Pharaoh and heading to the Promised Land. With manna for breakfast, lunch and dinner, desert temperatures soaring, and all the laws God has mandated for His people, tempers are apt to flare. And although God has delegated all the leadership and service responsibilities perfectly, some are not happy with the present situation. Korah comes from the tribe of Levi so his family’s job will have something to do with the Tent of Meeting – God’s desert precursor to the temple in Jerusalem. Because Korah is a son of Kohath (Numbers 16:1), his family’s job is to be in charge of transporting all the holy objects in the Tabernacle from one location to another when the cloud of God’s glory moves them. They are not allowed to see or touch the sacred items (the priests alone are allowed into the presence of God’s holy objects and they alone can wrap them and prepare them for travel), but they are called in when the items are ready to be moved. (Numbers 4:1-20)
When we first encounter our antagonist it is as an insolent rebel, leading other disgruntled Israelites against Moses. Here is his complaint:
Korah, son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, 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. 3They 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)
Bottom line: who do you think you are, Moses? What’s interesting to note is that part of what Korah comes at Moses with is accurate. The LORD was with the whole community. And part of what Korah comes at Moses with is his own junk that he projects on Moses, namely that Moses thinks he’s better than the rest of the people and placed himself in a position of leadership and superiority. If you know Moses’ story at all you know what a reluctant leader he was. So how does Moses react? Look at verse 4:
When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.
Then he tells Korah that God will decide who is right in this situation and who is wrong. He doesn’t defend himself. He doesn’t run away from the confrontation. And he doesn’t try to minimize or smooth over the differences to keep a false peace. Moses goes into a physically humble position to hear from God and pause before answering the accusations coming at him.
There are many lessons to learn here about confrontation. Here are a few that God has given me the opportunity to witness and practice a lot lately.
1. Truth is often mixed with fiction. When someone comes at me with intense emotions or a problem in the relationship, there may be some truth in what they say. Korah started with a piece of truth to his confrontation, but then he went astray and took others with him. Only going to God for His perfect perspective will allow us to sort out what’s true and what someone is projecting on us based on their own issues, feelings and past experience. We can look for the truth, address it, and leave the rest in God’s hands. Helpful verse: If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18) Implication: sometimes it’s not possible and sometimes it doesn’t depend on you.
2. Humility is a good response to conflict. Moses didn’t fall on his face because he was submitting to Korah’s leadership or authority in any way. Moses’ posture reflected his willingness to seek God’s truth and release the results. The relationship Moses had with God had been tested and refined to such a degree that Moses knew God wouldn’t let this threat to the community go with impunity. And Moses had seen God’s power and knew it would be effective in a way that mere words or human reaction could never be. Moses and Aaron fell facedown 3 times in this chapter. They sought God’s direction at every step of the confrontation, each time choosing to put aside their own reactions, feelings and agendas to hear from God.
3. One unpleasant (and in this case deadly) confrontation, done well, can preserve real unity. The converse is also true: if we choose false peace by refusing to engage in a fierce conversation, with God’s help, it can be poison to a group. Korah and his cohorts had grumbled long enough and loud enough to have rallied 250 other men to their cause. And these were well-known leaders of the community who had been appointed to the council. What would have happened if Moses hadn’t chosen to go to God and face these guys head on? Leadership vacuum, factions, outright rebellion and mutiny among the million or so people traveling together. As it was, the death toll was pretty high (please read the whole chapter. It’s fascinating…), but it was a classic case of short-term sacrifice for long-term gain.
Bottom line, my junk is my junk, but I’m not taking on yours. And vice versa. When I’ve been in conversations with my husband or friends who want to vent, or when I have been on the delivering end of one of those conversations, God has been gracious to reveal His truth to me and help me reach real understanding with the person I’m talking to. When I went through a recent season of not knowing what I was going to do with my life and I wasn’t feeling confident or purposeful in my middle-aged years, I wanted to lay the bulk of that at my husband’s feet. If he was different and our marriage was better, then I would be happy. I am so glad God didn’t teach me the lesson the way Korah had to learn it! Whew. But even when the tables were turned and I’ve had the confrontation coming at me, I’ve been reminded of that childhood phrase, “I’m rubber and you’re glue; whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you”. A strong relationship with Jesus is a little like that. When I fall facedown, figuratively or literally, and put myself aside to hear from Him, he reveals to me what’s really mine to own and what I can leave at the foot of the cross for Him to deal with.
There has been plenty for me to own, I can tell you. But it has been liberating to allow God to sort through what’s not mine and instead of throwing it back in the face of the one I really want to understand, I can feel empathy for their situation and hear his or her heart instead of just angry words.
We come into conflict for lots of reasons, but in Korah’s case, and in my own so many times, it’s our own insecurities and misperceptions of others that lead us to jump to wrong conclusions. If Korah had seen his role in carrying the sacred objects of the tabernacles as an honor because of the relationship he had with God, he may not have been so quick to envy Moses and Aaron the seemingly glamorous jobs they had. How many times have I looked at someone’s life and assumed it was better or easier or more fabulous than mine? Too many for me not to have some empathy for Korah, I’m afraid. Korah didn’t see Aaron’s pain in losing 2 of the 4 sons he had who were supposed to succeed him as high priest. Korah wasn’t aware of the inner struggle Moses had been through in changing his livelihood and identity 3 times during his life and becoming a leader in spite of his begging God not to give him the job. Korah’s focus was Korah. And that is another lesson altogether…
• Is there someone with whom you have an uneasy relationship or you’ve had an awkward encounter, and God is asking you to have a fierce conversation? Ask Him about it and ask Him how to begin the dialog, keeping the relationship and truth in mind as goals at all times.
• Are you content to be in the place and season of life that God has you in presently? Do you know your talents, personality and skills, and are you using them happily to serve God and others? As God fills and guides us in the unique way He’s wired us, we will see envy and misperceptions diminish.
• Are you aware of your junk? Do the same issues resurface over and over in your relationships? Are you willing to fall on your face, as Moses and Aaron did, to have God reveal your character flaws and allow Him to change you?
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