Each and every one of us are called by God for a very distinct purpose. Your calling might look very different from all those around you which can cause doubt, envy or even pride. Learning to trust that God knows what He is doing when He places a specific call on our lives, can save a ton of heartache.
Today we are going to look at a man in the Bible who did NOT trust God’s sovereignty and paid a price for it. Our text can be found in Numbers 16 and it is about a man named Korah. Now this fella was the great grandson of Levi and first cousins to Moses and Aaron. He was very much familiar with the fact that Moses was rescued as a baby and adopted by the Pharaohs daughter. He obviously knew that Moses grew up being pampered in the palace while he and all the other Israelites were being beaten and enslaved by the Egyptians.
Fast forward to when God used His mighty power to make Pharaoh release the Israelites and they were wondering in the wilderness. Moses, Aaron and Korah were all descendants of Levi which meant they were all set apart to do the work of the Lord in the tabernacle. However, Moses was put in charge of Israel and Aaron was made High Priest. Korah burned with envy, bitterness and rage because he was not made a priest that could go in before the Presence of God. It was for this reason that Korah led a rebellion against Moses. It’s an incredible story that you should read, but here is the gist of what happened. While Korah along with a few other men and their families stood outside their tents in opposition to Moses, God caused the ground to open up and swallow the men, their families and all their possessions. As soon as this was finished God sent fire down on 250 other men who followed Korah. This was a mighty display of God’s power. There was also a plague that attacked the people as well. Moses instructed Aaron to take the censer and incense and run to the people and stand between them and death. It was because of this that the plague stopped. Moses and Aaron had fallen on their faces before the Lord to beg for mercy on behalf of the people before the fire and before the ground swallowed up the men and families. Even as they were being mistreated, they had compassion on the people.
There are so many amazing lessons we can take from this story. First of all, we can see from Korah that jealousy has always been a part of the human condition. Our flesh does not tend to like feeling like second best. No matter how wealthy, beautiful or talented a person is, there is ALWAYS someone more wealthy, more beautiful and more talented out there. We shouldn’t waste time looking around at what others have or what they get to be or do. We should be occupied by what God has for US to do. Your calling in life might seem less important or glamorous than someone else, but it doesn’t matter. There are things in this world that have been ordained by God for you and you alone.
Another valuable lesson is that we don’t need to get all worked up asking why people get certain things that they don’t deserve? I can tell you emphatically that all of us are getting what we don’t deserve when it comes to salvation, redemption and an eternity with God. We aren’t called to make sure everyone gets what they deserve.
Let’s talk about the nasty word…pride! We have all dealt with it at some point and it can really cause issues in life. If you are angry that someone gets to do something you don’t, isn’t that pride? We know that thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought is definitely pride, but so is begrudging success or position for someone else. This means that you think yourself better.
If you take just a moment to reflect you will most likely find a matter in your life that you treat a bit like Korah. Are you envious of someone’s position? Are you disappointed in your own personal calling because of the lack of prestige or position? Do you go to others and gossip about those you are jealous of? If the answer to any of these questions is yes…it’s time to kill Korah! You can do that today because you have been made aware of how dangerous these mentalities can be. Pray to your Heavenly Father and ask that He remove these feelings and replace them with gratitude for what you and others have.
God has picked YOU for a very specific purpose and there is great peace and blessings awaiting you. Please don’t waste another moment comparing yourself because that takes precious energy away from your purpose.