https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjx1duoyfZA
Have you ever been blamed for actions that was meant for the good of others? Have you lost friends, even members of your own family because somehow THEY have developed an idea that YOU were the bad guy?
Story of a woman whose husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day. One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, “You know what? You have been with me through all the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you stayed right here. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. Do you know what I think?” “What dear?” she gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.“I think you’re bad luck.” (from The Daily Dilly)
In today’s passage, Moses and Aaron who are appointed by God to lead the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, from slavery to freedom, are now themselves the target, the object for blame. They are now the bad guys, responsible for all the “bad luck” the Israelites experienced in the wilderness. Bad luck or simply lack of faith?
Earlier in Exodus - “It’s better if the LORD had just killed us in the land of Egypt. At least we had plenty to eat. But now you have brought us here into this desert to make us all die from hunger” (Exodus 16:3)
First of all, Moses and Aaron did not bring them here. God did. God kept His covenant with Abraham and led the people into the wilderness so they can work on their endurance and faith before entering into the Promised Land. Second of all, Moses and Aaron were chosen by God to shepherd, to pray and to guide them. Instead of learning to trust, to thank, so to thrive, they rebelled - not only against Moses and Aaron, but against God!
Francis Schaeffer: “The beginning of men’s rebellion against God was, and is, the lack of a thankful heart.” It is when we stop feeling grateful and our heart cease to count every blessing, that our lips begin murmuring (murmur-murmur). Serving God and His Church is the greatest blessing that we can do together. And we need to guard the joy in serving because if joy is lost in the worker, the work suffers and so will the ministry.
Serve God with a Grateful Attitude
1 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent (rude and arrogant lack of respect) 2 and rose up against Moses.
Four men, each from significant positions. Kohathites are the most important branch of the tribe of Levi (priests). Reubenites are the firstborn of the twelve tribes. Prestigious in assignment. The Kohathite’s portion of ministry was the ark of the covenant, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary
With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far!
Two things to watch out for when you step into the arena called “the world”.
Disgruntled people. They are everywhere. They are simply un-happy - having something against happiness - because of their social nature, negative people kill your mood with their pessimism, negativity, and suspicion. Their toxicity is more potent than many diseases.
Negative peer pressure. A feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one’s age and social group in order to be liked or respected by them (Merriam-Webster). Can negative peer pressure affect mental health? Peer pressure can be detrimental to your mental health because you tend to lose yourself in order to fit in or be accepted by others. Here are five ways in which peer pressure affects your mental health:
It can make or break your confidence
It can affect your productivity (constantly think about it; wavers your concentration)
It can push you into bad habits (smoking, alcohol, risky behaviors - health, mental wellbeing)
It can make you indifferent towards your family (ashamed family background)
It can make you emotionally vulnerable (acceptance; pretend to be happy)
The Israelite’s Joy has been replaced with Jealousy - a type of pressure. Someone who experiences intense feelings of doubt, anxiety and jealousy will be more easily influenced than someone who displays confidence and awareness (Psychology behind peer pressure). Examples in the Bible: Cain embraced his jealousy and murdered his brother; Jealousy of Joseph’s brothers beat him and sold him into slavery; King Saul’s bitterness over the love others had towards David the future king. Jealous people are also “purpose driven” for wrong reasons - driven to tear others down.
The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
Wrong again! Moses DIDN’T want the role. “Not eloquent”, “Choose someone else!”
The story gives us a glimpse into the psychology of jealousy. 1) They recruit like-minded people to undermine your successes. 2) They find fault in everything you do. 3) They tend to be passive-aggressive (250 people - greater the count, greater the cause, greater the claim). Korah is quite capable. He understands the power of influence. 250 not easy. No email, tweet, IM. 250/4 = 62.5.
Here’s what Scripture says about jealousy: Jealous people …
Have no peace: “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).
Are bitter, prideful, and dishonest “If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth” (James 3:14).
Have misconceptions in their relationship with God: “You desire and do not have, so you murder (with words). You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2-3).
“Why do you set yourselves above us?” “Who made you boss?” If you know the story of Moses, you know he’s ultra sensitive with that question. Ex. 2:11-13 Moses grew up an Egyptian. He watched his people suffer under Pharaoh’s rule. One day M saw and E beating a H, one of his own people, and he killed the E and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two H fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow H?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the E?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”
Killing is wrong. Moses did it out of protecting the oppressed. He was only breaking up a fight between 2 Hebrews. His past haunts and terrifies him.
Korah introduced a type of peer pressure in front of 250 popular leaders. Guilt. Accusation. Defamation. God doesn’t delight in bullying. Know that God is on your side. Overcome peer pressure with spiritual acumen. Serve God diligently not disgruntledly, faithfully not foolishly, with humility not hostility.
Serve God with a Humble Heart
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.
I heard a preacher jokingly said when we get to heaven it is easy to identify Moses - flat nose. The first order of business if we are in the business of serving God’s kingdom when faced with conflict, is always go to the real Boss. Moses chooses humility over hostility. “Meekness is not weakness. It is strength under control.” Strength that comes from God is restraint, delayed, and guided.
5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers 7 and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”
A good leader doesn’t act on impulse. He waits. He prays. He hopes. Moses hopes time might reverse jealousy back to joy. Moses was hurt and heavy but he knows it is God who is being offended here. But God’s mercies are new every morning. So he may have begged God to give the ISRLTs time.
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”
Moses reminded Korah about God’s goodness. The fact we stand to serve in the ministry of the church has nothing to do with you and everything to do with God. We are “Separated to be near himself.”
Serving is not out of charity (they need my help therefore I serve). Serving is not merely based on ability or availability. True, certain people are gifted but it is even more important for gifted people to serve his/her “Gifter”. Beware of recognition that promotes the gifted and demote the Gifter.
John 3:25-30
When John the Baptist’s disciples asked about Jesus whom he baptized and is now baptizing others he answered. “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” That’s the attitude of how we should serve God.
This New Year, I want to encourage brothers and sisters to look at serving as a Vocation, not Volunteerism. The doctrine of vocation teaches that all Christians are called by God to live faithfully in three arenas, the household, the Church, and the state, in which all Christians are to live out their priesthood as believers by offering up their lives as living sacrifices to God (TGC - The Doctrine of Vocation).
Found this in my journal years ago when I pondered the difference between volunteering vs. serving in Church. “Volunteerism is diluted duty, cheapened commitment, superficial stewardship. When you serve (talking to myself), do it with clear conviction that #1, Christ could have done it, #2, Christ chooses you to be the doer, and #3, Christ wants to be alive in you - which is the experience you'll have in return of authentic and confessional service. Why confessional? When you confess, you acknowledge God over yourselves. Without God you are absolutely nothing. By being confessional you attest that God is the Master Orchestrater of first, the need for something to be done or someone to be touched or cared for (He opens door). Then you are positioned to be confronted with a the tugging (conscience), understanding that this is a platform (calling) that comes with a personal option (not an offer by God but rather a willful choice to obey or deny) and finally a submission (confession) that goes the way of the Lord's. You are to be fishers of men, not service recruiters. Be a commitment-driven worker. One who takes his responsibility seriously and knowing that anyone could have done it but God has called you to take this on and God is the One who is going to bless you by blessing others. It's a divine appointment not an optional assignment. You should say "Oh thank you Lord" rather than "uh, let me think about it", "let me see how I feel". We are “Separated to be near himself.”
Serve God with Integrity
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! 13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! 14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!”
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.”
This verse leaves me dumfounded. Dathan and Abiram literally use Moses’ own words “Isn’t it enough” in verse 9 to launch a baseless, unfounded, and absurd attack to slap Moses with ill-conceived accusations.
*Egypt - a land of flowing with milk and honey? *Moses - a killer - one against 600,000 to 2,000,000 - how? *Failure to deliver - blame game - unaccountable for own disobedience. Instead of taking responsibility, they blame, murmur, complain. *Finally, accusing Moses of treating the people like slaves? Notice not only did they twist Moses’ words, God’s Word was also defiled. For over 20 times in the Bible, the phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey” is sworn by God as a promise. But it is here that the Israelites claimed the phrase as a weapon to assault Moses. They were actually condemning God which made Moses - “very angry.”
Sometimes people are offended that a man like Moses was angry with men like Dathan and Abiram. They think a gentle, easy love is the proper response. Such thinking is understandable, but wrong. Shepherds are gentle with wayward sheep who might injure themselves, but they are passionate against wolves who would injure the flock (enduring Word).
I spoke about mental health earlier. Social bullying also can leave us dumbfounded. It is serious, it is difficult, and it is overwhelming. But you don’t have to deal with it alone. You have each other. As a Church, we need to be aware of how our brothers and sisters are coping. As families, we need to pray together to stay together against any evil. Moses and Aaron show us how:
When dealing with opposition, yield to the power of God.
When sickened by accusations, resolve to the grace of God.
When faced with aggression, relent to the mercies of God.
SPEAK UP! STAND UP! SHIFT UP! (Seek, Surrender, Steady in God)
I was so fortunate to come across a virtual conference presented by the Center For Asian American Christianity (Hosted by Princeton Theological Seminary).
Dr. Russell Jeong:
Acknowledge I need just as much help with my mental condition from God
How hurt people, hurt people (how abused people, abuse people) - James 4:1-3 “What causes fight and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Be like water - clear, humble, persistent and restorative. Water goes with the flow, doesn’t resist … Matt 5:5 (Meek); Micah 6:8 (Humbly); Phil 2:4-5 (humility); yield. Be like water that’s persistent - keep flowing until it reaches its path. Drop-by-drop can erode a rock. Create waves of change. Persistent for doing good and fight for justice. Be like water that’s restorative - Matt 5:9 (peacemakers); Amos 5:24 (Justice); 2 Cor. 5:17-20 (Message of reconciliation)
Don’t dismiss/deny hurt … “I’m going to use the Bible and not react”. We then do not let God heal our hurt or restore my mental tangles (my own words)
If we have faith, we can be persistent to move mountains, spoonful by spoonful, shovel by shovel
Healed people can heal people
In the face of opposition, stand up, speak up, shift up (to give oneself up into the power of another: yield).
I know. False accusations hurt. They say, “Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But actually, WORDS CAN HURT FOREVER.” Words hurt, scar, and leave wounds all the way down to the soul! Brothers and sisters, I know, unfortunately, very-very well. Hang in there! Lastly -
Serve God with Courage and Compassion (Go to message)
16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.
Who are you a follower of? Other versions translate as company, even congregation. Men with grudging power or God who has authority over all? Strikingly, Moses is scrutinizing Korah’s leadership. How and where are you leading others? Moses then made distinctions - you, they, and Aaron. One day, no matter our association, will stand before God alone to receive His judgment. “It’s easy to stand with the crowd. It takes courage to stand alone.”
17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” 18 So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”
In that culture, falling on one’s face was the ultimate sign of reverence and respect. It was a powerful symbol of humility and submission. These two true leaders prostrate themselves before God to make a heartfelt petition on behalf of everyone asking God for his mercy towards all. That’s what servants of the Gospel do. That’s what the Gospel is. That’s who we are!
This person writes, “I wonder how our lives would be different if we began to grasp the majesty and holiness of God. I wonder how our churches would be different if, even for a moment, we glimpsed the glory of God as did Ezekiel. Not only might we fall on our faces before the Lord, but we might also be empowered afresh to serve him in every facet of our lives” (https://www.theologyofwork.org/the-high-calling/daily-reflection/facedown-lord)
“O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?”
Is Moses initiating reverse-peer pressure? I think yes.
Is Moses reminding the value of life? I think yes.
Is Moses illustrating the impact of sin? I think yes.
Now I understand what they mean when they say “Prayer Changes Things”.
Unreserved courage comes from unwavering integrity through an unswerving faith in God.
How far will you go to save those who falsely accuse you, fiercely attack you, and forcefully abuse you? We alone are too weak. Only through Jesus Christ. That’s the Gospel. That’s who we are.
Leaders often suffer the dissatisfaction from those they lead when the people who follow fail to share the responsibilities.
I began by asking if you’ve ever been blamed or if that you have lost friends/family because of their misconceptions? But I must also ask if you have ever blamed and sever your friendship/relationship because of your own misunderstanding?
Our Lord is most familiar with, even famous for being wrongly and falsely accused, unfairly chastised, and immorally executed. So He understands. He knows. If you have been hurt, God is there to hear your prayer, heal your hurt, and help you live. If you have hurt others, Our Lord is here, to hear your repentance, to heal your regrets, and help you reconcile.
