I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another. –Isaiah 42:8
This week, we’re looking at four snapshots of sin in the life of Israel that demonstrate how God deals with His disobedient children. In Numbers 16, we see the second sin: rebellion. A man named Korah was tired of the leadership of Moses and Aaron. He and his followers said to them, in essence, “We’re all equal before God. Who gave you the right to tell us what to do?” How did God respond to this rebellion? Verses 31–32 say, “The ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.” The Bible says there is a harsh judgment for people who rebel against the spiritual authorities God has put in place. That does not mean we shouldn’t offer suggestions to our leaders or hold them accountable. But we are to let them do their job “with joy and not with grief” (Hebrews 13:17). God also has strict standards for leaders. We see this in the third sin in the Israelites’ journey: self-glorification. In Numbers 20, the Israelites had been in the wilderness for forty years, and they were complaining about water. So God told Moses, “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water” (v. 8). Moses took the rod and gathered the people. But then he said, “Shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” (v. 10). Who did Moses say would bring forth water? “We,” not God. Then Moses struck the rock a couple of times, and water poured out. Sure, Moses deviated from God’s instructions a little bit. Was that such a big deal? Yes. By striking the rock instead of speaking to it as God had commanded, Moses shifted the focus away from God and onto himself. God will have no part of that. He does not give away His glory. Look at God’s judgment against Moses and Aaron: “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them” (v. 12). Can you imagine the disappointment Moses must have felt? Because of his disobedience, he missed the fulfillment of God’s promise. (Jeffress)
