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Scripture Reading: Gen. 9:20-27; Lev. 10:1-2; Num. 12:1-15, 16
In the first garden, Adam fell. In the second garden, Noah also fell. God saved Noah’s household because of his righteousness. In God’s plan, Noah was the head of his household. God placed Noah’s family under his authority. God also set Noah to be the head of the earth at that time.
But one day Noah drank of the wine of the vineyard and became drunk. He became naked in the tent. When his son Ham saw his father’s nakedness, he went out and told his two brothers. As far as his conduct was concerned, Noah was wrong; he should not have been drunk. But Ham did not see the seriousness of authority. The father is the authority set up by God in the family. However, the flesh loves to see authority exposed to shame so that there can be freedom from restriction. When Ham saw the impropriety of his father, there was no sense of shame or sorrow. He also did not think of covering the matter. This proves that he had a spirit of rebellion. He went out to tell his brothers and expose the shame of his father. This proves that he also had a reviling conduct. But notice how Shem and Japheth dealt with the matter. They went into the tent backward. They did not turn their faces toward their father’s shame; instead, they covered their father with the garment on their shoulders. The failure of Noah became a test to Shem, Ham, Japheth, and Canaan the son of Ham. It showed who was submissive and who was rebellious. Noah’s failure exposed Ham’s rebellion.
When Noah woke up from his drunkenness, he prophesied that the descendant of Ham would be cursed and that he would be a servant of servants to his brothers. The first slave in the Bible is Ham. The phrase “Canaan shall be his servant” is used twice. This means that those who do not submit to authority will have to be slaves, being subject to authority. Shem was blessed. The Lord Jesus was born of the descendants of Shem. Those of Japheth are the preachers of Christ. All the nations that preach the gospel are descendants of Japheth. After the flood, the first person who was cursed was Ham. His descendants were made to be slaves under others’ authority for generation after generation. Everyone who learns to serve the Lord must come face-to-face with authority. He cannot serve God in a spirit of lawlessness.
How solemn is the story of Nadab and Abihu! They became priests because they belonged to the house of Aaron. This was due to the proper condition of their house before God; it was not due to the proper condition of the individuals in that house. God appointed Aaron to be the priest. The anointing was upon the head of Aaron (Lev. 8:12). In all things related to offerings and service, the chief person was Aaron. His sons were just helpers taking orders from him to attend to the affairs beside the altar. God had no intention for Aaron’s sons to be priests independently. He only wanted them to be under Aaron’s authority. Leviticus 8 refers to Aaron and his sons twelve times. Then chapter nine indicates that Aaron offered the sacrifices while his sons helped alongside of him. If Aaron did not move, his sons should not have moved. Everything should have been under Aaron’s name. Nothing should have been under his sons’ names. When his sons assumed the headship presumptuously to offer sacrifices, it became strange fire. But the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, thought that they also could offer sacrifices. Without Aaron’s command, they offered up strange fire. The meaning of strange fire is to serve God while refusing to take orders and disregarding authority. They observed that it was a simple matter for their father to offer sacrifices. Nothing extraordinary seemed to be involved; therefore, they thought that they could do the same. Hence, they took the matter into their own hands. Their only consideration was whether or not the matter could be done. They did not consider the matter of God’s authority.
Here we see a very solemn matter. Serving God and offering strange fire are two similar matters, yet they are very different. Service to God originates from God. It is man serving God through submission to His authority. The result is acceptance. Strange fire, however, originates from man. There is no need of obedience to God’s will or submission to His authority. All that is needed is man’s zeal, and the result is death. We often incur more death the more we serve and work. Under such circumstances we have to ask God to enlighten us. Are we under the principle of service, or are we under the principle of strange fire?
When Nadab and Abihu worked apart from Aaron, they were working apart from God, because God’s work is a coordination in authority. God ordained that they serve under Aaron’s authority. In the New Testament there are Barnabas and Paul, Paul and Timothy, and Peter and Mark. In all these we see a responsible one who leads on the one hand and a helper who follows on the other hand. In God’s work some are set to be authorities while others are set to submit to authorities. God desires that we be priests according to the order of Melchisedec. In the same way, we have to serve God in the order of the coordination in authority.
When a person who should not take the lead begins to take the lead, there is rebellion and death. Therefore, anyone who serves God without touching authority is offering strange fire. If someone says, “Since So-and-so can do it, I can do the same,” this is rebellion. God pays attention not only to whether or not there is fire, but also to the nature of the fire. Rebellion can change the nature of fire. All that is not instructed by Aaron, that is, not instructed by God, is strange fire. God’s concern is with the upholding of authority, not just the sacrifice. For this reason, man should be a follower. He should always be a complementing one. A deputy authority follows God. Those who submit to authority follow the deputy authorities. In spiritual matters or spiritual works it is not an individual serving, but a corporate Body coordinating in serving. The unit of service is coordination, not individuals. When Nadab and Abihu got into trouble with Aaron, they got into trouble with God. They could not work apart from Aaron. Anyone who violates authority will be devoured by the fire of God. Even Aaron himself did not know that the matter was so serious, but Moses knew the solemnness of rebelling against God’s authority. There are many who think that they are serving God. Yet they work independently without coming under any authority. Many have sinned without realizing that they are rebelling against God’s authority. For this reason, the free-lance evangelists who were prevalent in China in the past were a great loss to the church.
Aaron and Miriam were the older brother and sister of Moses. In the family Moses was under the authority of Aaron and Miriam. But in God’s calling and work, Aaron and Miriam were under Moses’ authority. They were not happy about Moses marrying an Ethiopian woman, and they spoke against and reviled Moses, saying, “Has Jehovah indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” (Num. 12:2). Ethiopians are Africans. They are the descendants of Ham. It was not right for Moses to marry an Ethiopian. Miriam was older than Moses. It was all right for her to rebuke her brother on the ground of family relationship. But in opening her mouth, she touched the work of God and overstepped Moses’ position. In His work, God had placed deputy authority in the hand of Moses. It was a big mistake for Miriam and Aaron to speak against Moses because of family problems.
God appointed Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. But Miriam despised Moses. For this reason, God was not happy with her. It is all right for you to deal with your brother. But it is not all right for you to speak against God’s authority. Neither Aaron nor Miriam knew God’s authority. They fostered a rebellious heart by standing on natural ground. Moses did not answer. He knew that if he was God’s appointed authority, there was no need for anyone to protect him. Whoever spoke against him would touch death. He did not need to open his mouth. As long as God had given him authority, he did not have to speak. A lion does not need protection because it is the authority. Moses first submitted to God’s authority. Then he was able to represent God as authority. He was very meek, more than all men who were on the face of the earth (v. 3). The authority which Moses represented was the authority of God. All authorities are delegated by God, and no one can take them away.
Their words of rebellion ascended upward and were heard by God (v. 2b). When Aaron and Miriam offended Moses, they offended God in Moses. Therefore, God became angry. Once a man touches deputy authority, he touches God in that person. Once he offends the delegated authority, he offends God.
God called all three to come out to the entrance of the tent of meeting (v. 4). Aaron and Miriam came out boldly, presuming that they would be vindicated. They thought that God had finally called them. They thought, “You, Moses, have married an Ethiopian woman and have caused unhappiness in the family. We have many things to say to God.” But God said, “Moses is My servant. He is faithful in all My house. Why are you so bold as to speak against My servant?” Spiritual authority does not come through man’s attainment. Rather, it comes through God’s selection. Spiritual matters are entirely different from worldly principles.
Authority is God Himself. It cannot be offended. Whoever speaks against Moses speaks against God’s selection. We cannot despise God’s selection.
When the anger of God was kindled, the cloud removed from over the tent, and the presence of God was gone. Immediately, Miriam became leprous (v. 10). This was not from infection. It was inflicted by God. Being leprous is not any better than marrying an Ethiopian woman. As soon as inward rebellion is manifested, it becomes leprosy. Lepers have to be shut out. Man cannot approach them. They lose all fellowship.
When Aaron saw that Miriam became leprous, he besought Moses to be a mediator so that God would heal her. God instructed Miriam to be shut out from the camp seven days before she could be received again. She bore shame for seven days as if her father had spit in her face. Only after seven days did the tent of meeting journey on. Whenever there is rebellion and reviling among us, God’s presence is gone, and the tent will not move. The pillar of cloud will not come until reviling words have been judged. If the matter of authority is not settled, all other matters will remain unsettled.
Many think that they have submitted themselves to God already. They do not know that they still need to submit to God’s deputy authority. Those who are truly submissive see God’s authority in all environments — in their homes and in all institutions. God said, “Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?” (v. 8). Every time reviling words come, we have to pay much attention to them. We cannot be careless, thinking that we can say things rashly. When there is reviling, it proves that there is the spirit of rebellion within. The reviling is the sprouting of this rebellion. We have to fear God and must not speak in a rash way. Many today speak against those ahead of them. They speak against the responsible brothers in the church, but they do not realize the seriousness of this matter. If one day the church receives grace from God, she will separate herself from those who revile the servant of God. She will not talk to them because they are leprous. May God be merciful to us that we would see that this is not a matter with our brother, but a matter of God’s appointed authority. If we have met authority, we will realize that there are too many incidents where we sin against God. Thereafter, our concept concerning sin will be changed. We will see sin from God’s point of view. The sin that God condemns is man’s rebellion.
Numbers 16 speaks of the company of Korah, who were Levites, and Dathan and Abiram, who were of the tribe of Reuben. The Levites represented the tribe of spirituality; Dathan and Abiram represented the leaders. In addition, there were two hundred fifty well-known men. All of these princes gathered together to rebel. They attacked Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have gone too far! For all the assembly is holy.…Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah?” (v. 3). They did not respect Moses and Aaron. Perhaps they spoke these words in all honesty. They did not see the authority of Jehovah. They thought that this was a personal matter. They considered that among God’s people there was no authority. When they rebuked Moses, they mentioned nothing about Moses’ relationship with God or God’s command in this matter. When Moses heard these serious charges, he was neither angry nor upset. Instead, he fell before Jehovah. He did not act in any way by himself. He did not try to exercise authority, because authority is of God. He told the company of Korah to wait until the morning. In the morning Jehovah would prove who was His and who was holy. He was answering an improper spirit with a proper spirit.
The words of Korah’s company were based completely on reasonings. Their words were entirely suppositions. But Moses said that the Lord would make everything clear. It was all a matter of Jehovah’s selection and command. It was not Moses’ problem but Jehovah’s problem. They thought that they were only against Moses and Aaron, that they were not against God. They had no intention of rebelling against God. They intended to continue to serve God. They were only despising Moses and Aaron. But God cannot be separated from His deputy authority. One cannot take one attitude towards God and a different attitude towards Moses and Aaron. No one can reject God’s deputy authority on the one hand while receiving God on the other hand. If they had submitted to the authority of Moses and Aaron, they would have been submitting to God. But Moses did not lift himself up because of God’s authority on him. He humbled himself under the authority of God. In a gentle way he said to them, “Take censers,…and put fire in them and place incense upon them before Jehovah tomorrow, and the man whom Jehovah chooses, he shall be holy” (vv. 6-7). Moses was an aged man. He knew the consequence of such an act, and he sighed, saying, “You have gone too far, sons of Levi!…Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the assembly of Israel to bring you near to Himself?…Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against Jehovah” (vv. 7, 9, 11).
At that time Dathan and Abiram were not present. Later Moses sent men to ask them to come. But they refused, saying, “You have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up” (v. 14). Their attitude was that of rebellion. Basically, they did not believe in the promise of God. Their attention was on the earthly blessing. They forgot their own mistake — they were the ones who had refused to enter Canaan. But they turned around to rebel against Moses with bitter words.
Then Moses became angry. He did not answer them, but prayed to God instead. Many times man’s rebellion forces God to step forth in judgment. The Israelites tempted God ten times and doubted Him five times. But God tolerated and forgave all of them. Yet when rebellion broke out this time, God stepped forth to judge. He said, “Separate yourselves from among this assembly that I may consume them in a moment” (v. 21). God must remove rebellion from among His people. Moses and Aaron fell down before God and prayed, “Shall one man sin, and will You be angry with all the assembly?” (v. 22). God answered Moses and Aaron’s prayer and judged only the company of Korah. Not only did the Israelites have to hearken to God’s appointed authority, but God Himself also testified before the Israelites that He accepted their word.
Rebellion is a principle from Hades. When they rebelled, the gates of Hades were opened. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed Korah, Dathan, Abiram, their households, and all their goods. They fell into Hades alive. The gates of Hades cannot prevail against the church. But a spirit of rebellion can open the gates. The church is not victorious because there are rebellious ones within her. When there is no rebellion, the earth cannot open its mouth. All kinds of sins release death. Only submission to authority will shut the gates of Hades and release life.
When the rebellious ones spoke against Moses for not leading them into the land flowing with milk and honey, and for not giving them the inheritance of fields and vineyards, their words were somewhat true. They were then in the wilderness and were, indeed, not yet in the land flowing with milk and honey. Please note that whenever men act and judge according to doctrine or according to what they see with their physical eyes, they are taking the way of reason. But those who submit to authority will enter Canaan by faith. The way of the spirit can never be taken by those who argue and reason. Those who by faith take the leading of the pillars of cloud and of fire and take the leading of Moses, the deputy authority, will enjoy the fullness of the Spirit. The earth opens its mouth for the rebellious ones. This is the way of death leading them quickly to Hades. Those who do not submit to authority have clear eyes, but they only see the desolation in the wilderness. Only those who are apparently blind, who probe forward by faith, ignoring the present desolation, can enter into Canaan. Those on the spiritual pathway see the future promise of blessing by the eyes of faith. Therefore, one must meet authority, be restricted by God, and be led by His deputy authority. If a man sees only his father, brothers, or sisters, he does not know what authority is, and has not yet met God. In any case, the matter of authority is an inward revelation rather than an outward teaching.
In Numbers 16 there are two rebellions. In verses 1 through 40 we have the rebellion of the leaders, whereas in verses 41 through 50 we have the rebellion of the whole assembly. A spirit of rebellion is contagious. The judgment on the two hundred fifty was not enough to warn the whole assembly. They saw with their own eyes fire coming forth from God to consume the two hundred fifty incense burners. Yet they still rebelled. They even accused Moses of killing them. Moses and Aaron could not open the earth; it was God who opened it. Moses could not consume people with fire; it was the fire that proceeded from Jehovah God that judged the people. Some men only see through their own eyes. They do not see that all authority is of God. Such people are very bold; they are not afraid even when they see judgment, because they do not have the knowledge of authority. This is a very dangerous matter. When the whole assembly attacked Moses and Aaron, the glory of God appeared, proving that authority is from God. God came forth to judge. A plague broke out, and 14,700 died. Moses was quick in his spiritual sensation; he immediately ordered Aaron to take the censer, put fire in it, and place incense on it to make propitiation for the assembly. Aaron stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
God can bear His people’s ten murmurings in the wilderness. But He cannot bear His authority being offended. God can bear many sins and can even pardon them. Once rebellion appears, however, God cannot tolerate it, for rebellion is according to the principle of death. It is according to the principle of Satan. For this reason, the sin of rebellion is more serious than any other kind of sin. Whenever someone opposes authority, God immediately comes in to judge. How solemn a matter this is!
