Resisting Authority
Do you respect the people God has placed in authority?
Verse of the Day
“They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly.”
Today’s Devotional
Today’s story is a dramatic one. It centers on a man named Korah. I will let the Bible tell you this story.
Here are my observations:
- Korah and a few friends riled up 250 of the leaders of God’s people to rebel against Moses and Aaron. These were not the societal riff-raff, they were prominent members of society. (16:1-3)
- These men questioned the authority of Moses. (16:3)
- Moses’s response was to humble himself physically by falling face down. (16:4)
- Moses allowed the Lord to be the judge instead of handling it himself. (16:5)
- Moses pointed out the special positions these men had been given in the community (instead of demeaning them). (16:9)
- When summoned by Moses, two of the leaders of the rebellion refused to come. (16:12-14)
- In his anger, Moses vented to the Lord instead of acting out of his anger. (16:15)
- Korah and his men tried to turn everyone against Moses and Aaron. (16:19)
- God was about to destroy the entire community. (16:21)
- Moses pleaded for the people’s safety even as they were against him. (16:22)
- Moses called for a dramatic sign of God’s judgment. (16:30)
- The punishment for rebellion was swift and severe. (16:31-50)
- After a dramatic act of God, the people blamed Moses and began to protest. (16:41)
- Again God wants to destroy the people but Moses and Aaron humble themselves before God on the people’s behalf. (16:45)
- The punishment was again swift and severe. (16:49)
- Moses and Aaron went back to work. (16:50)
This story is a drastic warning against putting ourselves in opposition against authority. It is very easy for us to say, “Moses was clearly God’s chosen leader. But our leaders today aren’t in the same category as Moses and Aaron.” And while I don’t disagree with that, my heart keeps reminding me of our call to pursue unity and peace, which is mentioned many times in the New Testament. Add to that what Romans 13:1 says: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
For me, the most impactful part of today’s story comes from Numbers 16:15: “Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord , “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.” Moses was not angry at God, he was angry at Dathan and Abiram. But in his anger, he talked to God. He vented to God. He did not act on his anger to the humans with whom he was angry, he took his anger to God and then continued to be obedient.
This is the lesson for me today. If I am in a position of authority and people act disrespectfully, I should not act out of anger just because I can. If I am under someone’s authority and I don’t like how they are leading, I am still called to respect their authority. When I get mad or frustrated, I need to take that to God. God can handle it when I get angry and take that anger to Him. However, when I act on my anger, I make a mess of things. This life is already messy enough without me (or anyone) making the mess any bigger. I long to be a person who is respectful of all the authority figures God has placed in my life, and to be a person who takes my anger to God and leaves it there.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How do you handle your anger?
Do you trust God with your anger? How? Or why not?
How can you be respectful of all people in authority over you, even if you disagree with them? How does your respect display your trust in God?
How can you practice imitating Moses’s behavior from today’s story?