Story 19 • Numbers 16

You’re Not the Boss of Me



The Biggest Story

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You would think Moses would be a popular guy in Israel. He set the people free from slavery. He delivered them from Pharaoh and through the Red Sea. He gave them the Ten Commandments. He performed signs and wonders in Egypt and in the wilderness. How could you not like Moses?

Well, the Israelites found ways not to like Moses. Not good ways, but lots of them. They didn’t like it when Moses disappeared to be with God. They didn’t like that Moses hadn’t brought them to the Promised Land. And they didn’t like that Moses was in charge. “You’re not the boss of me!” some of the people thought. Except, actually, Moses was kind of the boss of them, not because he was better than everyone else but because God had given him authority to lead. Israel learned the hard way—which is the only way they learned much of anything—that Moses was the man of God’s own choosing.

One day, three men—Korah, Dathan, and Abiram—decided they had had enough of Moses and his brother Aaron. “What makes you so special!” they thought. And, “Where’s the land with honey milkshakes you promised?” They were getting tired of Moses.

But God was getting tired of complainers. So the Lord told everyone to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (and if God tells you to turn away from the bad guys, you should probably listen). After the warning went through the camp, a giant earthquake followed. The earth opened up and swallowed Korah and those with him. Then fire burned up two hundred and fifty chiefs who had decided to follow the rabble-rousers instead of Moses.

You might think all the people said, “We’re sorry, Moses. We trust you now.” But they didn’t. They grumbled even more against Moses and Aaron. This made God even angrier. And so he threatened to wipe out his people just like he had done in the days of Noah. But one more time, Moses prayed for the people. God stopped the plague he had sent and gave the people another one of their gazillion chances to walk in faith and get it right.

But we never seem to get it right. Centuries later there would be another man who would deliver people from bondage, give them a new law, and perform signs and wonders. But just like they rejected Moses, so the people rejected Jesus. And just like Moses, Jesus would pray for the people, asking God to be merciful to those who hated the one he had sent. Except this time there would be no Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to pay for their sins. Jesus would have to do that too.


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