Korach and the Ancient Roots of Modern Rebellion

The Most Modern Rebellion in the Torah

Korach's claims sound remarkably contemporary. They are the claims of the French Revolution — liberty, equality, fraternity — applied to the camp of Israel. "We are all holy. We are all just as good as you. Moses and Aaron, you take too much authority upon yourselves. We want democracy. We want equality." In Hebrew we have the proverb "rich like Korach" — the equivalent of "rich like Midas" — so Korach was not a poor man making desperate demands. He was an elite person wanting more.

Korach had to work hard to get those 250 men behind him. You don't spontaneously gather 250 leaders of Israel's tribes to agree on anything. It takes organization, talking, gossiping against the established God-given leadership. I imagine Korach had already promised positions and jobs to several of those leaders before they showed up. Around great men of God there are always those of lesser character and greater hunger for power — motivated by feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth. They feel ignored and slighted. If someone has just a little more than they have, they feel that person obtained it by abuse and evil motivation. What Korach and his band didn't remember is that Moses never wanted to be a leader. This leadership was imposed upon Moses by the Creator Himself after 40 years of preparation as a shepherd in Midian — first a prince in Egypt's palace, then a servant of Jethro, the priest of Midian. It was a long boot camp.

Notice the contrast that Korach and his group are not taking into account: Moses didn't chase after the job. It was God who almost forced him into it. God chose and prepared and appointed. Korach and his 250 men demanded equality without effort, recognition without sacrifice, leadership without the years of pain that earned Moses his place. That is not democracy — that is grabbing.

The People Who Didn't Rebel

The hard-working, dedicated, humble, and faithful regular Israelites didn't rebel against Moses. They were busy living and working and taking care of their families, and helping those who needed help — quietly volunteering in the camp of Israel, not seeking recognition. Because they were looking for their true reward for their good works from God and not from men. The ones who rebelled were the VIPs — the powerful, the rich, the popular — men of renown who had unfulfilled leadership aspirations and felt the world owed them more.

There is no leader who can really defend himself against such accusations as Korach's group levied against Moses. Anything Moses would do would only prove their claims true. So Moses does three things — and all three contain lessons for leaders today.

First, he falls on his face. In the whole Bible there is no example of people falling on their back side as an act of God or the Holy Spirit. That false and fake action is pure pagan, strange, and man-made by false prophets and fake apostles. Falling on one's face is submission before the Lord — an act of a servant before his Master, willing to accept the Master's verdict on all things. Moses falls — not from weakness, but from grief and sadness, and from full submission to God.

Second, he calls on God to be the judge. Moses doesn't take the low road. He doesn't attack and defame Korach and the 250 men with him. He simply says:

And Moses turns the same argument back on Korach:

What develops in most cases of leadership challenge is competition, intrigues, false accusations, dirty war, and defamation. Moses does not stoop to the level of his opposition. He calls upon the Lord to be the judge and his own vindication.

Third — walk away. Stop the fighting. Stop the arguments with your enemies. Separate yourselves from the enemies. Just ignore them and walk away, stop the bitterness. Walk away. This is divine wisdom. We don't have to win every battle. We have to stay faithful to the Lord and stick to His guidance. God's judgment is much more effective and educative than anything we as humans can do. I confess that I don't always succeed in holding my tongue and not responding. I pray that God would always give me the wisdom and the patience and the stamina I need not to be Gary Cooper in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral."

The Earth Opens

When Moses and Aaron fall on their faces before God and say: "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and You be angry with all the congregation?" — they are using the same argument Abraham used with God about Sodom. And God gives Korach and his gang a chance to turn back: come to the door of the tabernacle, bring your censers with incense, let God show who is His. The glory of the Lord appears to all the congregation. And then:

They learned their lesson. We also need to learn our lesson. God's patience has limits — but before He acts, He always gives a chance to repent. We don't need instant gratification for our pain and suffering in persecution. We need real, long-term, and final gratification. It has happened in my life more than once. When God defends us, His defense is usually final.