Korah & Co.

As they led God’s people toward Canaan, Moses and Aaron faced numerous challenges, most of which came from the people themselves. Numbers 16 describes one such occasion: a group of prominent Israelite men, led by a Levite named Korah, contested Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership and laid claim to the priesthood. It wasn’t an armed uprising, but it was rebellion just the same. And since “whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction” (Romans 15:4), we need to learn the lessons of that rebellion. The spirit of contempt that motivated Korah and company is alive and well today.

Contempt for Leaders

Korah and the others charged that Moses and Aaron had arrogantly assumed power, had not delivered on their promises, and were keeping the people in the dark to maintain control (see verses 3,13,14). The uprising had popular support; even after God punished these rebels, the public blamed Moses and Aaron for their deaths (see verse 41). It was a formal show of contempt for the authority of Moses the prophet and Aaron the priest.

Our society encourages the criticism of leaders as a healthy and essential thing. But sometimes we let that go to our heads, and we criticize those in authority simply because they’re in authority! When we do that, we are no better than Korah and company.

For a simple application, consider our attitude toward elders in the local church. The very fact of their being in a position of leadership makes some Christians feel the need to criticize them. Overseers who do their God-given task of watching over men’s souls (Hebrews 13:17) have been wrongly accused of prying, harassment, or “lording it over the flock” (1 Peter 5:3). This tendency may be why Paul warned Timothy not to receive an accusation against an elder without confirming testimony (1 Timothy 5:19). Instead of an “Us vs. Them” attitude, let’s give elders the respect and cooperation their work demands.

Jude warned of evil men who “turn the grace of God into lewdness” (verse 4), saying that they had “perished in the rebellion of Korah” (verse 11). How so? He explained that they “reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries [lit. ‘that which is praiseworthy’]” (verse 8) and are “grumblers, complainers” (verse 16). Take note: the path of contempt for authority follows in the footsteps of Korah, where we should fear to tread.

Contempt for God-given Roles

Korah and his men were not a bunch of nobodies; they already had important roles to fill. The Levites had been given special work by God (verse 8-10; cf. 3:5f), and the others involved were “leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown” (verse 2). But these men weren’t satisfied with the positions God had given them; they wanted the positions He had given to Moses and Aaron.

There’s a saying that any person can do any amount of work, provided it’s not the work he’s supposed to be doing. Most of us have seen this principle in action in the workplace, and it happens in other areas of life as well. Like Korah and company, people grow dissatisfied with the vital roles God has given them; they want to do something else. That sometimes leads to an abandonment of God’s commands.

Korah’s argument (verse 3) was that all the Israelites were holy; why should Moses and Aaron get to be in charge? Hadn’t God said that all Israel would be “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6)? To Korah, this justified doing away with God’s arrangement of the priesthood. But the Lord’s promise in Exodus 19 was conditioned on Israel’s obeying His voice (verse 5) — including His instructions on who could serve as priests! God’s declaration that all the people were holy did not mean they could disregard the respective roles He had given them.

I see a parallel to this in the modern battle over women’s roles in the church and the family. Korah misapplied God’s statement that all the people were holy to argue for an “open” priesthood. Likewise, people today often use Galatians 3:28 (“…there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”) to argue against any distinction between men’s and women’s roles. But, like Korah, they ignore the very words of God Himself. He has placed limits on what women can do in the public functions of the church (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:11f). And He has given men the job of leadership in the home (Ephesians 5:22f). This doesn’t mean that God values men and women differently, it just means they have different roles to fill. When we ignore those distinctions, we drink deeply of the spirit of Korah’s rebellion.

Contempt for God’s Will

Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company are gathered together against the Lord; but as for Aaron, who is he that you grumble against him?” (verse 11). Even in declaring the punishment of these men, Moses emphasized that it was God’s doing, not his (verse 28). Although Korah and the others didn’t see it this way, their challenge really was not against Moses or Aaron, but against God Himself.

There’s a lesson here on respecting God’s silence. God had said that those of the family of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi, would serve as priests before Him (Exodus 28:1). He didn’t say, “Thou shalt not have a priest from Reuben, or Simeon, or Judah, etc.” But by specifying who was to serve, He ruled out all others. Dathan, Abiram, and On (verse 1) were from the tribe of Reuben. The 250 “leaders of the congregation” were probably from all the various tribes. And Korah, though a Levite, still did not meet God’s qualifications for priesthood. The author of Hebrews confirms that God’s silence about the other tribes meant no one from among them could serve as priest under the Mosaic Law, including Jesus Himself (Hebrews 7:13-14). Korah’s rebellion put this matter to the test and proved it! The incident shows that when God specifies what He wants, we are not at liberty to improvise.

But the more obvious lesson is that when we have contempt for those God has appointed to lead us, when we envy the roles He has given to others, we are actually rebelling against the Lord Himself. That should be the last thing any disciple would want to do.

The Consequences of Rebellion

Korah’s rebellion had tragic results. The ringleaders and their families were swallowed up by the earth and perished (verses 31-33). The others who had joined them were consumed by fire (verse 35). And when the people protested, a plague from God killed nearly 15,000 (verses 41f). It was a costly lesson in the foolishness of rejecting God’s plan. And it serves as a reminder that rebelling against Him ultimately will cost men their souls.