Holy Enough?

Numbers 16:1-18:32, Korach, "Korach"

Chapter 16 begins with the story of Korach (who was a Levi) leading a group of 250 men in a revolt against Moses and Aaron.  God threatens to wipe out all the people, Moses intercedes, and God brings judgment on Korach.  In so doing, He opens up a gorge in the earth that swallows Korach and his entire family (including Dathan and Abarim and their families).  Then the Lord sent fire and consumed the 250 who had joined the revolt. 

The next day the people of Israel come against Moses and Aaron and blame them for the loss of these lives.  A plague breaks out and 15,000 die before Aaron's intercession stops the plague.  Chapter 17 covers the story of God proving His choice of Aaron for the priesthood through the blooming of Aaron’s rod.  In the story, God instructs Moses to have the head of each of the 12 families of the Sons of Israel bring a rod to him with their name engraved on it.  God informed Moses that the rod of the man that He chooses for the priestly role would sprout. 

The next day, when Moses checked the rods, he found that Aaron’s rod had put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore “ripe” almonds.  Moses returns the rods to the heads of the individual families, and put’s Aaron’s rod before the testimony as a sign to those who may think about rebelling against Aaron’s authority.  The chapter ends with the sons of Israel speaking to Moses regarding their fear of approaching the tabernacle of God as it seemed as if everyone who approached the tabernacle would die.

In Chapter 18 we find God telling Aaron that from this point forward, he and his household would bear the guilt of any sin that is committed in connection with the sanctuary or the priesthood.  Then, God instructs Aaron to extend some of the services of the tent of meeting to other families within the family of Levi.  At the same time, God clarifies that those services are limited and do not provide those families access to the alter or the furnishings of the sanctuary.

The parsha concludes with God declaring how the families of Levi will have no inheritance of land but that their portion will come from the food and proceeds given from the people.  This parsha has a lot packed into it and there are many things that we could discuss.  This morning I would like to share on a few that I see coming together to create a common theme.

The first is in regard to Korach approaching Moses and demanding equality based on his perceived view of things.  In Numbers 16:3 we read: “They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

The major fallacy I see in Korach’s thought process is this:  He makes the assumption that Moses believes that his role within the leadership of the people is dependent upon his own holiness and that in this view of himself he has lifted himself above the rest of the people. 

This mentality is the biggest difference between Korach and Moses.  Moses is humble enough to realize that He is only worthy of being used by the Lord in the ways he is being used as the result of God’s holiness.

This is what actually qualifies Moses to be lifted above the people and positions him to be used by God in that role. 

When we begin to act like Korach and believe that “our holiness” somehow qualifies us for something and that in that we begin to lift ourselves up relative to others, that thought and that process of self-exultation actually disqualifies us. 

None of us are “holy enough”.  Only God is and only He lifts up or exults.

The next thing that came to me was how Moses continues to intercede on behalf of the people when the people continue to rebel, move in pride, and/or sin against him and/or God.

In Numbers 16:20-22 right in the middle of the ordeal with Korach we read….  Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one-man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”

Then again, later in the story when the entire congregation comes against Moses and Aaron as we read in Numbers 16:45. “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Then (Moses and Aaron) fell on their faces.”

In both of these cases, Moses and Aaron were under attack from the people. Their authority was being held in question, and they were being falsely accused. 

In this God tells them to “separate themselves”. 

Holy is to stand apart.  So, with that, God is basically telling them that they “deserve to be treated differently” than the rest of the people and tempting to exult themselves based on this understanding.  

God is basically telling them that it is OK to view themselves differently, more holy, to “set themselves apart” from the people, to see themselves as “higher” and “deserving of a different destiny”.

This reminded me of Exodus 33:24-17 right after the sin of the golden calf.  In this we read:

And (God said to Moses), “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”  Then (Moses) said to (God), “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.  “For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”  The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.”

All of this ties back into the parsha I presented two weeks ago relative to leading and following. 

Back at the time of the sin of the golden calf, Aaron was just as much a part of the problem as the rest of the people.  At that time, Moses was given the opportunity to lift himself up above the people and be treated differently.  Instead, he challenged God to walk with all or none, and to not treat him any different than any of the people. 

Two weeks ago, we read about Miriam and Aaron attacking Moses' authority, God putting leprosy on Miriam, and Moses, in resisting the temptation of an “I told you so”, intercedes and Miriam is ultimately healed.

In this parsha we see Aaron joining Moses as they together resist the temptation to use the sin of the people and God’s anger toward them as an opportunity for preferential treatment and self-exultation.

From there we move into the story of “Aaron’s rod” blooming and producing “ripe” fruit and then into the imagery of how Aaron and his household would bear the guilt of any sins committed against the sanctuary or the priesthood.

Isn’t this exactly what Moses had been doing since the time God sent him back to Egypt to lead the people out of Egypt?  Isn’t this what Moses demonstrated to Aaron in the parsha we read two weeks ago?  Isn’t this exactly what Moses and Aaron just did when the people were sinning against the priesthood and God’s appointed?

When I think about Aaron’s rod blooming and producing “ripe” fruit at this point in time, I can’t help thinking about the calling on our lives to produce fruit, and how connected that is to allowing ourselves walk out this journey in the image of Yeshua as the ultimate High Priest that we follow. 

He was willing to humble Himself by coming down out of the heavens and taking on the form of a man, to live with us, and be subjected to the temptation of “lifting Himself up”.  He allowed those that persecuted Him to nail Him to a cross and “put Him up” alongside two criminals.  He allowed God to put the sin of us all on Him so that we may live in Him. 

In this, He moved into the position of His greatest calling, defeated sin and death, and returned to the right hand of the father where He would produce the greatest fruit as our lord and savior.

With all this said I want us all to think about a few very important questions: 

What would have happened if Moses and Aaron would have failed God’s test?  What if they would have become what Korach was accusing them of being?  What if they would have done just as God said and “separated” themselves from the people? 

Wouldn’t this have flipped things around and made it so that the congregation would have been right in blaming Moses and Aaron for everyone dying?  Afterall, that would have been the outcome.

I pray that each of us can see where we might have some areas of potential growth, that we allow God to help us move beyond the tests of allowing the failures of others to build us up, and where we grow in our ability to intercede for even those that persecute us.  I pray that in and through this, He bless each of us in our ability to blossom, to produce “ripe” fruit, and to live lives that truly honor Him.