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Scripture Reading: Num. 16:1-18
In this message we come to another rebellion, the rebellion described in Numbers 16. This rebellion took place immediately after the insertion with the instructions and warnings in chapter fifteen.
The first rebellion was the murmuring of evil by those at the border of the camp. The second rebellion was the lusting of the mixed multitude. The third involved two elder relatives of Moses who were very close to him. Now, after the fourth rebellion, the rebellion of unbelief in spying out the land, some of the leading ones rebelled. This time the rebellion was on a much larger scale; it involved more than two hundred fifty people.
We first need to see who the rebels were.
Korah, a descendant of Levi, was of the same tribe as Moses and Aaron. He served God with them. Hence, he was not among those at the border nor among the mixed multitude. Rather, as a Levite, a serving one, even a leader among the Levites, he was in the center of the camp.
Dathan, Abiram, and On were descendants of Reuben (the firstborn of Jacob). They must have taken the lead among the sons of Israel according to their natural birth (16:1).
With Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, there were two hundred fifty leaders of the assembly. They had been chosen from the congregation and were well-known men (v. 2).
Numbers 16:1 and 2 indicate that the rebellious spirit was spreading unto a thorough saturation among the people. This rebellion was a great hardship to Moses and Aaron because it was against the center of the government.
The cause of the rebellion was the struggle for position and power. In verses 9 and 10 Moses said, "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, to do the service of the tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the assembly to minister to them; and that He has brought you near to Him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And will you seek the priesthood also?" The priests had the priesthood, the priestly service, and the Levites had the Levitical service next to them and were serving the priests. But, as Moses' word indicates, the rebels were struggling for power and for a higher position.
In verse 3, the rebels made an accusation against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have gone too far! For all the assembly is holy, every one of them, and Jehovah is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of Jehovah?" This shows that the root, or the factor, of this rebellion was the struggle for power. Through the centuries, many problems among Christians have been caused by the struggle for position and power. In society this power struggle is everywhere — in the schools, in the government, and in corporations. In the work place, people play politics in order to gain more power and position. The same thing happened among God's people in ancient times and has been repeated again and again among Christians through the centuries.
In 16:4-11, 15-18 we see the reaction of Moses.
"When Moses heard it, he fell on his face" (v. 4). This indicates that in his reaction to this rebellion, Moses was humble.
Although Moses was humble in falling on his face, he did not give up his God-given position as God's deputy authority (vv. 5-11, 16-18). He rebuked Korah and all his company and charged them to be present before Jehovah with their censers, saying that Jehovah would make known who was His and who was holy and would cause him to come near Him. This indicates that in a struggle for power the only one who can judge and expose the real situation is God Himself. Moses did not fight back; rather, he brought the rebels and the ones against whom they rebelled to God. As God's deputy, or delegated, authority, Moses referred this case to God as the highest authority for His speaking, exposure, and judgment.
Moses was very angry and prayed, "Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one ass from them, and I have not ill-treated one of them" (v. 15). Moses' prayer concerning God's not accepting their offering was serious. It is not easy for a servant of God to pray in this way. Here it seems that Moses was forced to vindicate himself, but God did not condemn him for this.
Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram (v. 12a), but, speaking in a very eloquent manner, they answered that they would not come up (vv. 12b-14).
I do not like to talk about the rebellion of God's people, but the Bible gives us a long portion here in Numbers 16 to cover this matter. Ambition for position and power is always a problem to God's people. Ambition is a "gopher" that undermines God's plan and damages His people.
I admire Moses' boldness in confronting this problem. He was attacked to the uttermost. Those rebels not only attacked him, but they also rebelled against him as the authority arranged by God. It was difficult for him to say anything.
When I was with Watchman Nee on the mainland of China, I saw him attacked a number of times. He never did anything or said anything to vindicate himself, and he never complained against others. As he told me, because he was the target, it was difficult for him to say anything concerning himself without vindicating, and it was difficult to say anything about others without condemning. So the best way, he said, was not to say anything.
Even though Brother Nee was the one under attack, it was the church that was damaged, and it was God's plan that was hurt. Furthermore, many young ones, who did not have much discernment concerning these things, were damaged. On the other hand, the church received some positive help from all the turmoil.
The ambition for power and the struggle for power are in our blood. This ambition and struggle can be found not only among males but also among females. The rebellion of Miriam and Aaron against Moses proves this. I believe that this rebellion was instigated by Miriam. I have seen cases in which a sister instigated a rebellion from behind the scenes. She used a brother to carry out her intention. We all need to be careful to guard against the "gopher" of ambition within us.
The first generation of Christ's followers was troubled by the struggle for power. At a very crucial time, when the Lord Jesus was going to Jerusalem to be crucified, He told His followers what would happen to Him (Matt. 20:17-19). They heard Him, but they neither listened to what He said nor cared about it. While He was telling them about His death, they were struggling for power. The mother of James and John (Jesus' aunt) even brought her two sons to the Lord, begging Him to put one on His right and one on His left in the kingdom (Matt. 20:20-28). The other disciples were indignant toward these two brothers. This indicates that there was a power struggle among the disciples.
If you read through the Acts and the Epistles, you will see that this struggle for power was there from the beginning of the church life. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-4) were a couple who lied to God. Actually, their lying was a struggle for power. They wanted to be more important, to elevate themselves in the eyes of others. At the end of the Epistles, John mentioned one who was struggling for power, Diotrephes (3 John 9-11).
The history of Christianity is a history of the struggle for power. This struggle is within each one of us. You may not realize it, but it is hidden inside you. Eventually, the church life will be a test to our real situation. As long as we are in the church life, sooner or later we will be tested and exposed.
Consider the rebels among the children of Israel in Numbers. Some rebels were on the border of the camp, some were with the mixed multitude, and some were very close to Moses, the leading one. Now, in chapter sixteen, two hundred fifty leaders rebelled. In view of all this, we must believe that the struggle for power was in every one of the sons of Israel.
We have been confronting this problem for over sixty years. The elders know that if they serve in a certain local church for several years, they will surely offend others. Some people are seeking for position and power, and if, because of the elders, they cannot get what they want, they will be offended. For example, in 1935 a co-worker in Shanghai rose up to take advantage of a tumultuous situation to seek for a "promotion." Brother Nee was away and had left the administration of the church and the leadership of the work to me. The brother who was trying to take advantage of the turmoil came to me, but I did not give him a positive answer. Eventually, this co-worker became an enemy to Brother Nee.
Those in the church life or in the Lord's work who are somewhat in the position of taking the lead will unavoidably offend some who are greedy for power. Because their desire for power and their lust for position are not satisfied, these greedy ones get offended and become displeased with those taking the lead. In such a case, the book of Numbers gives us a map that helps us to know what to do.
In chapter sixteen, Moses was bold and faithful in confronting a large-scale rebellion, a rebellion of two hundred fifty leaders. Although he fell on his face, he still did something. He brought this matter openly to God, to let God come in to speak, to judge, and to vindicate.
In spite of what Moses did, those rebels, especially the leaders, were strong and stubborn. They had made up their minds not to be subdued. When Moses asked Dathan and Abiram to come to the tent of meeting, that is, to the Lord, they accused Moses, saying that he had brought them out of a land of milk and honey (Egypt), that he had made himself a ruler over them, and that he had not brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey. Finally, they said, "Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up" (v. 14). They were eloquent and very stubborn.
What should we do in this kind of situation? In such a rebellious situation, it is better not to do anything. The Lord is still living. He is still on the throne and is still sovereign. He is the sovereign Lord and the highest authority. He is the Head of the Body today. Thus, we must always refer these things to Him and let Him be what He is. This is all we can do, and this is what we must do.
Concerning ourselves, we need to realize that without the Lord's mercy and grace we might be the same as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. But by His mercy we are here. Now we must learn to be alert and pray regarding any kind of rebellious situation.
