Tag: rebellion

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

Rebellion, envy, pursuit of power: Lessons from the life of Korah (Numbers 16–18)

Pursuit of power, rebellion, envy: Lessons from the life of Korah (Numbers 16-18). Adobe Firefly AI image of a man holding up two clenched fists and screaming in anger.

The consequences of rebellion against God’s authority, the dangers of envy and covetousness, and the importance of wise stewardship of blessings are key lessons from this study of the Torah reading קֹרַח Korach (“Korah,” Numbers 16–18). We will see how the motivations and actions of Korach and his co-conspirators echo in the shocking tragic end for Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. We explore timeless spiritual principles for leadership, true rest for our restlessness, and the enduring role of the Tabernacle as the earthly dwelling place for God.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

What strong, selfless leadership looks like (Numbers 16–17; Matthew 12; Luke 6)

What strong, selfless leadership looks like (Numbers 16–17; Matthew 12; Luke 6)

How did Moses, Aaron, Samuel and Yeshua haMashiakh (Jesus the Christ) responded to those who rejected their leadership and betrayed them in the most heartbreaking and cruel ways? They responded to insult and betrayal with dignity and humility, asking God to judge those who slandered and betrayed them, not seeking their own vengeance.

The Torah reading קֹרַח Korakh, covering the infamous Korah rebellion in Numbers 16-18, and companion passages from 1Samuel and the Gospels show us how the Golden Rule is a key to transforming leaders and individuals to look out for the needs of others to ensure the survival of us all.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Torah

How to pray for the enemies of Heaven (Leviticus 16–18)

How to pray for Heaven's enemies (Leviticus 16-18)

Korach and his merry band of insurrectionists used populist propaganda, revisionist history, blame shifting and faux humility to instigate a popular uprising against Moses and Aaron to return to Egypt to die there so they could avoid suffering God’s judgement that they would die in the wilderness over the course of 40 years.

The people followed along because they would rather blame Moses and Aaron for their lack of faith and their eventual death sentence than themselves for their failure to take what was promised to them.

Fast-forward about 1,500 years: Israel’s leaders who confronted Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) about His ministry repeated some of the same arguments and found themselves on the wrong side of history, just as Korach, Dathan and Abiram did.

But the real lesson of the Torah reading קֹרַח Korakh (Numbers 16–18) is how Moses, Aaron and Yeshua responded to the attacks on their authority. They didn’t ask God to take out their enemies, but interceded in prayer for them. God asks us to do the same.

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Discussions Torah

‘Who put you in charge?’: Korach, ancient revolutionary for equity and accountability (Numbers 16–18)

‘Who put you in charge?’: Korah, ancient revolutionary for equity and accountability (Numbers 16–18)

The account of Korach/Korakh/Qorakh (Korah) and his rebellion within ancient Israel between the departure from slavery in Egypt and the entrance into the Promised Land is a classic study in political science. His message hinges on two talking points that politicians of all stripes use today to sway the masses:
* Pursue equity, not just equality.
* Cultural decline is caused by some other group.

We see in the Torah reading קֹרַח Korakh (Numbers 16–18) and in the account of the trial of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) lessons on how to discern the motivations of popular movements and those who aspire to leadership. Find out more through this Bible study.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 16:1–18:32: Earth-shattering warning against coveting

A word cloud using the most important words and themes of Parashat Korach (Banner photo created at wordclouds.com)

There’s a difference between an “argument to Heaven” and an “argument to man.” In the former, we are showing a person how their conduct contradicts God’s word. In the latter, we are trying to dominate the other person. We want the person to accept us as an authority, rather than pointing one to accept God’s authority. 

What is the goal? To gain influence or to come closer to God. Even if our “argument to Heaven” is not executed perfectly, if the conclusion of the matter brings both parties closer to God’s will, it has accomplished a righteous goal. We see this lived out in the tragic rebellion of recorded in Torah reading קֹרַח Korach (Korah; Numbers 16–18).

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 16-17: Rebel against God’s appointed leaders, rebel against God

When we are not satisfied with the position God placed us and we covet someone else’s job or position, we are in grave spiritual danger. We may experience physical consequences for our rebellion, maybe not in the extreme manner recorded in Numbers 16–17, but God does not like complainers. Any insight we have about our condition comes from God.

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Discussions Torah

Numbers 14: Bad report about Promised Land sparks rebellion

When the majority spreads lies, the honest and faithful minority are voted out.

The “bad report” brought by the spies about the land God promised to give Israel was a dishonest report. Yet because the majority of the spies were willing to spread lies, the honest report of the two faithful spies was drowned out. The leaders of Israel believed the false report so completely that they were planning an insurrection to have Moses and Aaron stoned and then appoint a “leader” who would return them to Mitsraim (Egypt).

Numbers 14 is an example of democracy gone wrong. It also shows us God’s great patience with us in our lack of trust. We would not have tolerated the 10 times of grumbling that God tolerated from ancient Israel during the journey from Mitsraim. Yet He had to enact discipline too.