Don’t Be a Rebel - Lessons From KorahНамуна

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