May 8

Numbers 16 He was one of the most impressive men that I have ever met. He had many degrees, which I believe included a certificate from Moody Bible Institute, a BA, a Masters in Counseling and a Th.D., all from institutions which I greatly admire. He was extremely articulate and a great teacher of the word. He immediately attracted people to himself and began teaching a Bible Study which was wonderfully beneficial to those involved. But there were some things that he saw that were wrong about my ministry, among them was that he said that I was arrogant. He led a group of people that demanded my resignation. At one point during the struggle he suggested that I was mentally ill, and was afraid I might commit suicide. Eventually he called me a hireling and said that my life was a ‘waste.’ After leaving our church he went to another where he did a similar thing with the pastor there. He claimed that he had no desire to promote himself, but that we were deficient in our service. In terms of gaining a following, he was indeed a man of ‘renown.’ How is it that people who have seen the glory of God can be so obstinate in seeking their own glory? I am not sure that I can answer that question, other than the simple answer that it is inherent in the heart of all humans as part of the sin nature. We do not see a clearer example than in this chapter. If God had not so clearly been involved in Moses’ leadership, then one might be able to excuse Korah, Dathan and Abiram, but by this time God had many times revealed himself through Moses and his ministry. This speaks to me that I must be very careful, in as much as my heart is extremely susceptible to self-deception! Yes, Moses had taken on much authority, but it was all at the call of God, not his own. The events of the Exodus and the first year and a half out of Egypt should have clearly demonstrated it! Why would these ‘men of renown’ (v.2) criticize Moses in this way? Well, certainly God had told the nation that He wanted them to be a ‘kingdom of priests’ (19:2), but they had rejected it by their response to God’s appearance at Mt. Sinai (20:18-19). It is almost as if after there was enough time for the shock and awe of the appearance of God to wear off, that the people forgot His awesome glory. How is it that these ‘men of renown’ could so easily forget? How is it that they became known as ‘men of renown’ anyway? First of all they were apparently heads of their families, that helped. Secondly, by this time the nation had already gained a major military victory against the Amalakites (Ex 17). Undoubtedly they had gained reputation by the way they fought and/or helped organize the battle. However it happened, the point is that the text clearly states that they were men of renown. Could it possibly be that their own renown ‘went to their heads?’ I think it had. There was one cure to it. God once again revealed Himself in His glory. This time it was the glory of His wrath. In response to the glory of God, the ground opened up and ate the 250 men of renown for lunch. Mmmm. . . tasty. I’d better be careful about His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john