Rebellion and Its Cure

Parashat Korach , Numbers 16:1-18:32

James Burling, US Navy Chaplain, Kehilat Ariel, San Diego

I'm honored to bring light through the word this week as global tensions continue to rise, particularly in Israel and the Middle East. As a chaplain in the US Navy, it's my duty to orient our warfighters toward God, despite the disorienting conditions that we face.   

This week's Torah portion opens with the Korach rebellion.

Now Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, and sons of Reuben—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—rose up against Moses and took 250 men from Bnei-Yisrael, men of renown who had been appointed to the council. They assembled against Moses and Aaron. They said to them, “You’ve gone too far! All the community is holy—all of them—and Adonai is with them! Then why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of Adonai?” (Numbers 16:1-3)

Korach is of the priestly lineage along with Aaron, the high priest; both are Levites, sons of Levi. Korach along with some other chieftains, particularly from the tribe of Reuben, seek to confront and remove Moses from his position. This rebellious entourage of men seek to thrust themselves into positions for the sake of power, fame, and influence. From the beginning of creation, starting with Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the garden, rebellion has not yielded any positive outcomes, and this event is no exception.

It might seem rather hypocritical for an American to speak out against rebellion. After all, my nation's founding was predicated on rebellion against our British rulers. American colonists considered this justified because of undue taxation and seized the opportunity for independence. The preamble of the United States Constitution declares that such rebellion was necessary to create a more perfect union. In comparison, the Korach account shows us God's affirmation of His elect prophet Moses and disallows this rebellious action of Korach. 

A question that we should ask is this: did Korach and his rebel leaders seek or warrant a "More perfect union" with God than they already had? The early exchanges in Numbers 16 between Moses and Korach show us that the Levites, including Korach, were given a significant ministerial office as priestly laborers who regularly witnessed the interaction with the Glory of the Lord in the Tabernacle.  

We aren't told what Korach’s thoughts were that triggered his motivation for rebellion, but we can observe that he was discontented with God over what he was given. We aren't told if Korach prayed at all, but the text does indicate that he mounted accusers and accusations against Moses, so slander and gossip likely took place before the rebellious confrontation.  Note that Korach's discontentment is much like Cain's discontentment in the Genesis account in chapter 4 and how his rebellion played out.  

King David wrote in the opening of the 23rd Psalm “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.” Not wanting or "Lo echsar" roughly translates to not perceiving oneself as lacking or suffering a decrease. Korach found himself lacking favor from God much as Cain did, with each character trying to save face.  Whether Korach lusted after the priesthood initially, he simply felt discontented and wronged with where God had him. The pathology is that if we can rationalize that we have been wronged in any way, then we can justify nearly any retributive action as recourse. We usurp God and his order and exalt ourselves as judge and jury or lord of the situation. Whether personal or corporate, every rebellion in the history of the world has started this way. In our world, there is no lack of wrong being done but there is an extreme lack of justice and mercy.  

The narrative of early nomadic Israel in this week’s Torah portion offers us an opportunity to inspect our personal motives in any circumstance. Sin is a triunity of rebellion—against God, self, and others. Rebellion is a default human posture and attitude, and even more so, it’s our condition. We continually fall short in our deeds and thoughts.  The cure is to turn, perhaps face down first, make repentance, and reverently seek God's face for forgiveness in all directions. James explains in his writings this conception and evolution of sin:

But each one is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed by his own desire. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is full grown, it brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)

Korach was caught up in his own desires. Sin clouds our world and personal perception. It arises from the Yetzer hara, the evil inclination that we all battle, and leads us to fall short, then making us enemies of God with the help of pride. Pride ensures separation from God after we have sinned.  We notice that when Moses was confronted and accused by Korah and his clan, Moses didn't hastily defend himself or his position; he didn't explain himself. Rather, “When Moses heard this, he fell on his face” (Num 16:4). This action is synonymous with worship, repentance, reverence, and sincerity.  

By prostrating himself, Moses is denying his own face (vanity and pride) to receive the favor of the Lord’s face. It's also worth noting that the Aaronic priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 is regarding our orientation toward the Lord and his face shining upon us.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

When we turn to the Lord and spend time with Him, our countenance changes. Exodus 34:29 shows us what happens to Moses’ face after interfacing with the Lord in receiving the Torah. “Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant, because God had spoken with him.”

The antidote to our fallen circumstance in any situation is disarming it through interfacing with God, just as Moses does in the Korach situation. Prayer must become our primary response. Unlike Korach, but like Moses, we must desire God more than any status, position, or outcome. Perhaps it's a shortfall, pun intended, that we prostrate ourselves only once a year, on Yom Kippur. We fall to the floor on behalf of our own intercession for atonement, but what about on behalf of others as Moses did for the Kohathites? Do we pray for our enemies and those that oppose us? Romans 5:10 is about this very intercession, by our permanent high priest. “For if, while we were yet enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.”  

The Korach rebellion often reflects the voices that are in our minds in our own life circumstances. It reminds us that we cannot seize favor from God by force but through prayer, reverence, and humility towards Him. To receive favor from God requires gentle submission to him and his will, not by force, but by His spirit. The Avinu prayer that Yeshua gives us in Matthew 6:9-13 frames the ideal posture before God in dealing with our rebellion. It addresses the Father who is holy. The One who is set apart sets us apart. We must desire His Kingdom and not our own lordship or glory. We pray for His will and not our own to prevail. We ask for our sins to be forgiven as we forgive those who have offended us. We ask not to be led into testing, but if we must be tested, we pray to be delivered from the evil one. In Matthew 5:7 Yeshua commands us to be peacemakers: “blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called Bene Elohim, sons of God.”

As children of God, we are obligated not to make rebellion, but to turn from our rebellion and make peace in every circumstance. For Romans 12:18 tells us, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” May the Lord bless you in all your peacemaking endeavors. Shalom in Messiah Yeshua.