“Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”   

and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 

Korah was a malcontent who rebelled against the authority of Moses and Aaron (Nu 16). This was a full-scale mutiny. He presumed an authority that was not his. With Dathan and Abiram, Korah revolted against Moses and Aaron by attempting to intrude into the priestly office (Nu 16). God swallowed them alive in an earthquake for this insubordination (Nu 16:32).

Korah, a Levite, and his colleagues sought religious power by attempting to usurp the priesthood. This is approbation lust to grab duly constituted authority. Korah’s rebellion resulted in his death (Nu 15:32-36). Two hundred and fifty-four men revolted against Moses (Nu 16:1, 2). After an audience with Moses and Aaron (Nu 16:3), he challenged Moses’ authority. Levites were not allowed to take censers and place fire before the Lord; that authority lay with priests only. A Levite was simply a priest’s assistant. A person had to be born a priest; he could not declare himself to be a priest (Nu 16:4-7). Nevertheless, Korah sought to usurp this position, and 15,000 people died because of his power lust.

PRINCIPLE:

Apostasy destroys authority by undermining.

APPLICATION:

Christians must be careful not to undermine the authority of a ministry. We live in a day when people take potshots at God’s servants. There are always those who seek the ministry of others. They will undermine constituted authority to meet their selfish ends. It is easy to get sucked into the religious power lusts of others.

Some people whisper a little slander here, a little gossip there. Any suspicion that they can introduce into the situation, they will. They love to agitate and foment suspicion and innuendo. Any time this is done in the local church, it will ruin the church and its authority structure. This is an unadulterated rebellion against God.

For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. Tit 1:10-11