Far Enough or Too Far

"You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (Numbers 16:3)

A man was stoned to death because he gathered wood on the Sabbath. Perhaps Korah and the other men were offended at this decision. Maybe it offended their personal sense of justice or went against “common sense”. But, whether they realized it or not, the decision came from God. After all that had happened since leaving Egypt, Korah and the other men should have recognized that God was leading and protecting Moses.

As a result of his rebellion, Korah and his family were swallowed up by the earth. Hundreds of other leading men, who followed his lead, were consumed by fire. But, the people apparently thought it was some Moses magic because the very next day they confronted him with an attitude of rejection and rebellion. Once again, God responded as though they were rejecting and rebelling against Him and, as a result, thousands died by a plague. Moses and Aaron did not desire the death of the people but loved them, were praying for them, and hurriedly offered incense to stop the plague.

The men who rose up against Moses did so because they did not genuinely know God or Moses. These men were not motivated by love but by a desire for control. They appealed to the masses because they spoke out of the “natural”, out of “common sense”. The people choose their leaders for the wrong reasons and suffered terrible consequences. This illustrates the vital importance of choosing whose advice we will follow. We should not choose “natural” leaders that are full of worldly wisdom and common sense but godly leaders who daily seek the Lord and hunger for His direction. Korah said, “You have gone far enough.” But, God said to Korah, “You have gone too far.”

Project:

* Let’s ask ourselves, “Who’s advice do I seek and actually follow?”
* Is your leader or advice-giver someone who seeks God?
* Whoever our leaders are, let’s keep praying that God will constantly bless, guide and transform them