Numbers 16:1-50

In his book Effective Leadership, British management consultant John Adair shared what he called a “short course on leadership”:

The six most important words – “I admit I made a mistake.”

The five most important words: “I am proud of you.”

The four most important words: “What is your opinion?”

The three most important words: “If you please.”

The two most important words: “Thank you.”

The one most important word: “We.”

And the least important word: “I.”

I believe we work best and ultimately achieve more when we cooperate rather than compete, and when we encourage others in their designated roles rather than criticising or suggesting how we could do their job so much better. Sadly for Israel’s leadership, such wisdom was far from the people’s hearts.

Again and again in Exodus and Numbers we discover the same destructive pattern of grumbling, rebellion and judgement – or, as I learned at theological college, “rebellion, retribution, repentance, restoration and rest.”

The two narratives in Numbers 16 follow this pattern but end in defeat and death for those who oppose God. We don’t know how much time has elapsed since the spies returned from Canaan; the rebellion could have taken place at any point in the 38 years of desert wanderings.

First, Korah, a Levite like Moses and Aaron, opposes his leadership of the nation; and Dathan, Abiram and On object to Aaron’s special role as High Priest. They were Reubenites, and perhaps they felt their rights as descendants of Jacob’s firstborn son had been unjustly lost to Moses and Aaron. Second, two days later, the whole community stands and opposes Moses and Aaron.

The first inkling of trouble for Moses and Aaron comes when these four leaders, with 250 supporters, confront them and say, “You have gone too far! 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?” (verse 3).

Politically they are very adept: although there are two groups with separate grievances and goals, they present as a united front, and frame their objection in a way designed to attract maximum support from other Israelites.

The community was indeed holy (cf Exodus 19:6), and the Lord was indeed with them, even among them (cf Exodus 29:45). But Korah simply uses these truths to render his leading question more reasonable.

I can imagine bystanders looking at one another and saying, “Korah has a valid point – we are holy, God is with us; we’re going nowhere; perhaps it is time for a change of leadership!”

The same problem crops up today in national politics, on the boards of major corporations, and also within church life. That’s not the right way to solve problems and build a significant organisation or ministry. If you hear that sort of negativity in the church, let it die, and certainly don’t contribute to it.

Where do such actions originate? From where do attitudes so clearly at cross-purposes with God’s will emanate? They emanate from the fallible, selfish, sinful human heart.

Essentially sin is hostility to God, demonstrated in active rebellion against him and his Word. Sin is universal and unavoidable. As Paul says, “All have sinned . . . the sinful mind is hostile to God” (Romans 3:23; 8:7a).

Like all of us, Moses and Aaron were sinners – but they had been redeemed and sanctified, and it seems that Korah and his mates did not share their God-given vision or passion. Korah’s mind was hostile to God. He had lost the plot.

Moses responds with characteristic grace and wisdom: he falls face-down; he prostrates himself. When he rises, he has two things to say: one to the specific charge raised by Korah (verses 5-7), and the other to Korah’s underlying motive (verses 8-11).

Moses turns Korah’s accusation on its head, saying, “You Levites have gone too far!” (verse 7b). They ranked second to the priests in Israelite society; they camped next to the tabernacle (God’s dwelling place), and they coordinated the dismantling, carrying and erection of the tabernacle (see verses 8-11).

And the Levitical subgroup known as the Kohathites, of which Korah was a member, had the awesome privilege of “caring for the most holy things” and carrying Israel’s most sacred object from camp to camp – the ark of the covenant (see Numbers 4:1-20).

But those privileges were not sufficient for Korah and his companions. So Moses proposes a ‘litmus’ test: he says to them, “Take censers and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy” (verses 6b-7a).

Then Moses calls for Dathan and Abiram (On is not mentioned again), but they refuse to come, perhaps recalling the fate of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, who offered unauthorised fire before the Lord and died (Leviticus 10:1-2).

Instead, they indirectly complain about the way Moses has treated them, depicting Egypt (of all places!) as “a land flowing with milk and honey,” and complaining that the promises made to them have not been kept (verses 12-14).

This amounts not only to an open attack on Moses but to veiled contempt for God’s redemptive purpose. They perceived the land of slavery as paradise! As Jesus put it, “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

[continued in E131]

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E130 Copyright (c) 2003 Rod Benson. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: New International Version (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980). To talk with Rod about this message, email or write to P.O. Box 1790, MACQUARIE CENTRE 2113 AUSTRALIA. To subscribe, email with “subscribe-river” in the subject. To unsubscribe, type “unsubscribe-river” in the subject.