Authority Tested and Defended

Numbers 14-16; Mark 3 

“Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath…became insolent and rose up against Moses…’You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?’...He brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.”

Numbers 16:1-3, 10

Korah’s rebellion opposed Moses’ leadership and Aaron’s priesthood. Korah’s statement to Moses, “you have gone too far”, implied that Moses had initiated his call to confront Pharaoh, deliver Israel, and travel to the Promised Land. If we take authority, we are always defending it. If we are given authority, we look to the One who gave us authority to defend us. Korah was seeking the Aaronic priesthood not just the Levitical service in the Tabernacle. When new assignments and authority are being defined, it tests our heart and our motives. Grasping for positional authority divides and undermines trust. When seeking the Lord is our focus, he determines positions, authority, and leadership function, and he will defend what he has established.

“Lord Jesus, I trust in you and your authority in your kingdom, for your glory.”