Rebelling Against God: Not a Good Idea!

While God is “slow to anger and abundant in mercy,” that doesn’t mean we can disregard His commandments. Rebelling against God is never a good idea!

Scripture:       

Numbers, chapters 14-16; Mark, chapter 3

Numbers 16:41-50 (NASB):

But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people!” It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared.

Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from among this congregation so that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces. And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put fire in it from the altar, and place incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord, the plague has begun!”

Then Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was brought to a halt. But those who died by the plague were 14,700 in number, besides those who died on account of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been brought to a halt.

Observations: Rebeling Against God

Today’s Old Testament reading, Numbers 14-16, provides a graphic portrait of Israel’s rebellious streak. In chapter 13, the spies returned from the Promised Land. They all gave a good report of the land. However, ten of the spies warned the people not to try to take the land. “We are not able to go up against the people, because they are too strong for us” (Numbers 13:31). Caleb and Joshua disagreed: “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us” (Numbers 14:8). But the assembly did not listen. “All the congregation said to stone them with stones” (14:10).

God had had enough: “How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? I will strike them with plague and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they” (14:11-12). Moses pled for the people, and God relented; but God decreed that the adults of the assembly who rebelled would not enter the land. They would spend the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness until they all died off. Only Caleb and Joshua, who gave a good report, would enter.

But that didn’t stop their grumbling. First, they decided they would go take the land, even after God said He wouldn’t go with them. The Amalekites and Canaanites soundly defeated them. After that, Korah and his allies rebelled against Moses and Aaron. Korah’s group were Levites, but not priests. They said, “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?” (16:3). God decisively dealt with this rebellion; He caused the earth to open up and swallow them all alive. Then God sent fire to burn the 250 men who were offering incense from Korah’s group.

“The Next Day…” – Rebelling Against God Again

Our passage for today begins: But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people!” After everything that had happened – the various ways that God had miraculously demonstrated His power and His support of Moses – they grumbled again!

And behold, the cloud covered it [the tent of meeting] and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from among this congregation so that I may consume them instantly.” Thinkk about that: consume them instantly. No more warnings, no more discussion; God was ready to act.

Aaron Makes Atonement for the People

Moses directed Aaron to put coals from the altar into his censer, and then burn incense on the coals, to make atonement for the people. Then he ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. And he took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was brought to a halt.

Application: Rebelling Against God – and Against Moses

I have to admit that it boggles my mind every time I read the story of the Exodus. How could the people doubt God after all He had done? Why did they continue to rebel against Moses – and ultimately against God Himself? God performed miracle after miracle, yet they still refused to obey. As God Himself noted after the bad report of the spies, “[they] have put me to the test these ten times and have not listened to my voice” (Numbers 14:22, emphasis added).

The Lord, Slow to Anger and Abundant in Mercy

And yet God continued to show them mercy! After the bad report, God threatened to wipe them out and start over with Moses. Moses pleaded for them, reminding God of what God had said to Moses after the golden calf incident: “The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving wrongdoing and violation of His law; but He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished…” (Numbers 14:18; see Exodus 34:6-7). God relented; He wouldn’t wipe them out, but they wouldn’t enter the Promised Land.

They continued to grumble and rebel, as today’s reading demonstrates. And God continued to relent and forgive them. Even in our passage, when God began to strike the people, Aaron made atonement for them, and God stopped. Did God “change His mind?” Did He threaten them, but not mean it?

I don’t think either of those things is the case. Instead, I think that God looks to His people to act in accordance with His will and His character. He is indeed slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and He expects us to be as well. We might wonder what God would have done if Moses and Aaron had not interceded for the people, but we’ll never know. They did intercede – and God forgave. I believe God is reminding us that we need to intercede for others, and trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness. When people rebel against God, God doesn’t need us to condemn them. He calls us to try to turn them around – to point them toward God’s mercy rather than call for God’s judgment.

“Rebelling Against Moses” Is Rebelling Against God

As I was reviewing this post and organizing it for publication, I realized that I had neglected one point. God treated rebelling against Moses as a rebellion against Him. Moses was His chosen leader for the people. When they grumbled against Moses, they dishonored God. In a day when too many people seem too comfortable attacking spiritual leaders, we should remember this passage. Whether the people simply complained about Moses or set themselves up as rival leaders, God dealt with them quickly and severely. That’s just another way to look at Paul’s admonition about those who gather teachers for themselves who will tell them what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3).

Prayer:

Father, we confess that it is so easy for us the thunderously proclaim Your judgment. Forgive us for our presumption. Judgment belongs to You. Vengeance and punishment are Your responsibility, not ours. You call us to proclaim Your love and Your forgiveness – because we have experienced them ourselves. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful” (Matthew 5:7). Help us to show Your mercy to others, that we may continue to receive it. Amen.