REBELLION
The first Pastor in the bible I believe was Moses to the congregation of Israel. He was called of God in (Exodus 3:1,10,11). In less our leadership of God’s people be properly called of God, it is and will be just another position filled, without the blessing’s of the Lord. Pastors are called to many tasks, some they might want or many tasks’ that they might not ever want , but they deserve our full reverence and respect, because it is without a doubt the highest calling in the world. Love your Pastor and pray for him and his family.
I want to share with you today a story from the book of Numbers in the Old Testament, Chapter 16. It most surely fits a vivid description of many church congregations’ today.
We have several character fittings in this valuable story, most, of which are God, Moses, Aaron, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and the congregation of Israel.
In today’s message we find Korah and 250 princes of the congregation of Israel gathering themselves together against Moses and Aaron, complaining that they unjustifiably misused the authority they held. They thought they were just as Holy as they were, hearing this Moses fell upon his face. And Moses spoke to Korah and all his company to come tomorrow, before the Lord and the Lord will show who is his. “Take you censers, you and all your company, put fire in them and put incense in them, and it shall be that the man whom the Lord shall chose, he shall be Holy.”
Korah was a Levite and had already been separated from the congregation of Israel to do service of the Tabernacle of the Lord (this was according to God’s will). Korah was a ringleader with two friends named Dathan and Abiram. Moses sent to call for Dathan and Abiram but they would not come and replied back, “Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself a prince over us?” How silly a statement like that was, when in Egypt they had indeed been in bondage! Then Moses had become angry (righteous angry). Moses pleads his innocence before the Lord, claiming to have been a true servant and leader.
As Korah and his company came before the Lord the next day, God spoke to Moses and Aaron and said “separate yourselves from among this congregation so that I may consume them in a moment”. Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of Spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and You be angry with all the congregation?” The Lord then told Moses to speak to the congregation and Moses spoke saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men!” and the congregation departed from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them on my own will.” Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words that the ground split apart under Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and swallowed them up, along with their households. So they and all them went down alive into the pit and the earth closed over them. And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.And turned them to ashes. Thus there were two distinct punishments, the pit and the fire.
On the very next day all the congregation of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying you have killed the people of the Lord. “How stupid can we be they still didn’t recognize the chosen of the Lord.”
And the Lord Almighty once again spoke to Moses “saying get away from this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment”. And they fell on their faces. So Moss said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it and make atonement for them,” for the plague had already begun and as he stood between the dead and the living, the plague was stopped. Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident.
Aaron was obedient to God first and his Pastor next, without hesitation he stood between the plague offering incense in a censer, which was symbolic of prayer. As Aaron intercedes in prayer the plague was stopped.
All these people were killed because one man wanted to be the leader and not a follower of God. It only takes one person that can influence others that can cause major destruction in our lives. It only takes one negative attitude to destroy a church congregation or anything else in our lives. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be your guide on whether your called from God or not. Moses and Aaron had a divine calling in their life
And I am sure if your Pastor is called , he knows it and you will also. Pray for our Pastors and leaders, they like all of us need prayer daily.
