Korah was envious of Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership positions. This envy was combined with selfish ambition resulting in strife and rebellion, ultimately leading to his downfall and death. Some people aspire to positions of authority to lord it over others, not so they can serve others. An important lesson to learn from Korah is not to let your desire for someone else make you discontented with what you already have.
Vijay Thangiah
Day 1
Scripture: Numbers 16:1
Who was Korah?
Korah was the son of Izhar, a great-grandson of Levi, the third of Jacob’s twelve sons, and a first cousin to Moses and Aaron, the Jewish leader and High Priest, respectively. (Ex. 6:21).
Korah was born in Egypt at the time when the Jews were enslaved to Pharaoh. He experienced the miraculous exodus from Egypt, journeyed through the Red Sea on dry land, and received the Torah at Mount Sinai along with the rest of his brethren.
He was equal in rank with Aaron within the tribe of Levi. He was an influential, well-known religious leader among his tribe. He was a clever and astute individual. His status as a member of the Levite tribe enabled him to participate in the service in the tabernacle, the portable sanctuary the Jews carried with them throughout their journey to the Promised Land. As a descendant of Kohath, Korah’s job was to help transport the holy furnishings of the sanctuary—the ark of the covenant, the altar, the lampstand, and so on (Numbers 4:1-20).
But despite, and perhaps because of his many qualities, he felt able to take a stance against Moses and Aaron, ultimately leading to his downfall.
Korah was envious of Moses and Aaron’s leadership positions. This envy was combined with selfish ambition, resulting in strife and rebellion.
The Bible tells us in James 3:16, “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”
Grumbling and complaining are never harmless. They may seem harmless. We may even have grown comfortable with sins like these in our own lives. But they can produce the fruit of active rebellion against God and often breed unrest in the hearts of those around us (James 1:14-15).
Korah enlisted the help of his friends and incited many to rise against God’s chosen leaders. We must remember that God will not be mocked. If we foster discontent in our hearts and sow it in those around us, we will indeed be held responsible for our sin, but others may also suffer the consequences (Galatians 6:7).
Have you allowed an attitude of grumbling and complaining to take control of your life? Like the spirit of Korah, it will bring destruction to individuals, families, businesses, and churches.
Quote: Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others. – C. S. Lewis
Prayer: Lord, I pray that you would help me to be thankful for what you have given me and not complain about what I do not have, knowing that this attitude is very destructive. Amen
Day 2
Scriptures: Numbers 16:1-3, Numbers 16:12-14
Korah used his influence to get others to join in the rebellion
Korah diligently enlisted into his company all the people who were discontented. Korah used his relationship with these people to sway the majority to voice their dissatisfaction and confront Moses and Aaron. These men were well-respected and were used to influence others.
An example is seen in the Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On, son of Peleth.
The Reubenites had a grievance. Reuben was the firstborn and, according to their custom, had certain rights of priority. These rights had been ignored or transferred to Judah and Ephraim. The Reubenites were Korah’s neighbors in the camp. He had fanned their discontentment and held out flattering hopes to them. So, Dathan, Abiram, and their people join him in open revolt (verses 12-14).
He was also able to gather 250 leaders and their pronounced followers. The whole camp was pervaded with his emissaries, so much so that when he confronted Moses and Aaron at the tabernacle door, Korah was able to “gather all the congregation” at the same time.
He appealed to fairness and democratic equality, which has great appeal. It is what seems right to us. We naturally believe that we are both capable and responsible for directing our own lives. Korah hoped to overawe Moses by this demonstration of popular sympathy.
Men like Korah are always playing to an audience, always trying to draw a following after themselves. It is not those at the bottom of the heap who rebel against God’s order but those who are close to the top and think they ought to be at the top.
We must be careful of how we let people affect us. Some people put down others to give themselves greater importance. This is often, as part of a group or in a hierarchy, where they believe that attacking someone else gives their standing a boost.
It’s not easy to hear mean words about you without being impacted by them in your heart and mind, but you must not take their comments personally. Whatever they say, it’s a reflection of their insecurities, their troubles, their past, and their warped mindset.
An important lesson from Korah is not to raise your self-esteem by attacking someone else’s and attempting to put them down.
Quote: The higher a man is in grace, the lower he will be in his own esteem. – Charles Spurgeon.
Prayer: Lord, help me to get my true sense of identity and worth from my relationship with you and not by putting down others. Amen
Day 3
Scriptures: Numbers 16:3, Numbers 16:8-11
Korah was a dissatisfied person
Korah was a Kohathite from the tribe of Levi. But although he was a Levite, he was not satisfied with his position or responsibility (the Kohathites were responsible for transporting the sanctuary elements).
At some point, Korah decided that all this manual labor was beneath him. Moses and Aaron were his cousins after all (Exodus 6:16-21)—but they led Israel while he was stuck on this menial job. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. He felt that he deserved better. He wanted to be a priest, maybe even High Priest.
Korah wanted to overthrow the priesthood and install himself as high priest in place of Aaron,
His unwillingness to accept his role and dissatisfaction with what God had chosen was the seed of ultimate rebellion.
Korah was not content with what the Lord had called him to do. So, he wanted to put Moses down and accused him of pride and exclusionary leadership.
Discontentment breeds spiritual unrest, ingratitude, and arrogance. Korah’s greed did not accomplish a closer fellowship between God and His people. Instead of fostering intimacy, it only drove a wedge between them.
Pride and greed lead to spiritual blindness and a rejection of truth. In many instances, pride can be disguised by seemingly honorable reasons. Korah’s complaint against Moses and Aaron was grounded on his belief that since the entire nation of Israel was considered holy, no one should be seen as more exalted than anyone else. People often use spiritual jargon and even use God’s very name and presence to support their grievances (Numbers 16:3). However, Korah’s pretense was soon revealed as selfish ambition.
These personal grievances led Korah to stage a full-blown rebellion. Korah’s group grew in size as he lured thousands to his side throughout the night.
We must remember that those who desire most intensely the ability to wield power are also the most likely not to wield it well. As the saying goes, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
This can be true in the church as well. Some people aspire to positions of authority to lord it over others, not so that they can serve others.
An important lesson from Korah is not to let your desire for someone else make you discontented with what you already have.
How satisfied are you in what God has called you to do? Are you constantly looking for higher positions in Christian ministry?
Quote: I believe it might be accepted as a fairly reliable rule of thumb that the man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a leader. – A.W. Tozer
Prayer: Lord, I pray I will be content to do your will in the place you have placed me rather than be discontent and face spiritual unrest, ingratitude, and arrogance. Amen
Day 4
Scripture: Numbers 16:16-21
Korah was ambitious to become the high priest
Korah was jealous that Aaron had been chosen as High Priest, to the exclusion of anyone else. Furthermore, his cousin, Elitzafan, had been chosen as head of the Levite family of Kehot, to which Korah belonged, and Korah felt this position was rightfully his.
So, Korah accused Moses (and Aaron) of pride and self-seeking. Korah’s complaint centered on the exclusiveness of holiness to the priesthood. He said, “Everyone is holy before God. God is among all of us, not just you.”
The truth was that Moses had not aspired to his position but God had indeed called him, and Moses did not, in fact, see himself as above the congregation.
Korah used skillful language to present his case to Moses and Aaron and came up with the logic that since all Israelites are equally sacred before the Lord, no one person should be treated special. Their argument is a classic case of a false conclusion constructed on a true premise.
He said, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them.” This was a clever attack. Korah acted as if he represented the people and fought for their interests. The truth was that he desired a following and a position for himself.
He confronted Moses and Aaron and claimed that he had appointed his brother as High Priest on his own accord, without being instructed to do so by God. They further demanded that they all be allowed to serve as High Priests. Rebels and divisive persons have always used such words for their cause.
A divisive, contentious person will never claim to be divisive and contentious. They always consider their work a noble cause. Therefore, Christians need discernment and to look at what others do, not only at what they say.
Moses responded that this was impossible, as only one person could assume this sacred post. Moses told Korah and his company of rebels they had gone too far. There was a power struggle, and Moses would let the Lord decide who was right and wrong. To demonstrate that Aaron was indeed God-ordained, he instructed them to take pans the next day and offer incense before God, and God would accept the sacrifice of the one whom He deemed worthy.
An important lesson from Korah is not to use part of God’s Word to support what you want and twist it to fit the facts as you see them.
Quote: “I want to develop discernments that say an unapologetic “no” to ways that violate the gospel of Jesus Christ.” – Eugene Peterson
Prayer: Lord, help me never to misuse Your Word for my ends. Help me to stay true to You and Your Word in my life. Amen.
Day 5
Scripture: Numbers 16:24-33
Korah was punished for his rebellion
Some people think there will be no consequences for their actions or rebellion against God. That’s what Korah and his followers thought. They forgot that God is all-powerful and expects His children to obey Him, much like parents expect their children to obey them.
In response to God’s command, Moses called the people to separate themselves from the tents of the rebellion’s leaders (Korah, Dathan, and Abiram). The same attitude should be among God’s people today. We should stay away from divisive, argumentative, contentious people in the body of Christ.
God then resolved the problem by bringing judgment on the leaders. The earth swallowed Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (16:31-34). The rebels opened their mouths against the Lord and sought a higher place, so the earth opened its mouth to gulp them down to a lower place. The 250 leaders were also burned to death by fire from heaven (16:35).
Korah could have been an admirable helper in the kingdom of God! Instead, he led the wretched life of a conspirator, came to a bad end, and left an infamous name behind. The lust for power—the determination to be the greatest—has been the ruin of many a richly-gifted person.
Negative examples are useful for deterring people from evil and destructive courses of action. The descendants of Korah learned from his sin.
After seven successive generations, the prophet Samuel arose from the line of Korah, the genealogy of which is recorded in 1 Chronicles 6:31-38.
Hundreds of years after Korah’s rebellion, his sons made a spiritual turnaround. One part of the family became the temple doorkeepers and guardians (I Chronicles 9:17, Psalm 84:10), while another became the temple’s musicians, singers, and choristers. This family penned psalms 84-87 and 42-49.
Psalm 84:10, we read, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” For the sons of Korah, being near God—being in His service—was everything. What Korah took for granted, his descendants treasured.
The sons of Korah could have followed in Korah’s footsteps. But instead, they chose to fulfill the role God had reserved for them with honor and excitement.
What about you? Do you embrace the opportunities God gives you to learn and grow and serve (even when they’re not glamorous or enviable), or do you set yourself against God and demand something “better”?
Let us respect God’s choices and not be a rebel.
Quote: Remorse and regret cannot compensate for sin … though sins can be forgiven immediately, the consequences can last a lifetime – Edwin Louis Cole
Prayer: Lord, help me remember there is always a price to pay for rebelling against You and the leadership You have appointed. Help me never to be a rebel. Amen