Comparing the Compensation of Clergy in the Old Testament Israelite Congregation to The New Testament Church Today.

Numbers Chapter 18: Remuneration of the Priesthood

Numbers 18:1-32

Day 70. Ten weeks of “please stay at home” and “we’ll shut down everything just in case.” As I posted earlier today, “If ever there was a doubt about whether or not politicians can solve the world's problems, it has totally disappeared. They can't.” Neither can doctors. Of course, lawyers will always be around to make a good dollar from the messes that politicians and doctors make. And we just had a black man named George Floyd killed by four police officers in Minnesota with initial video showing the murder. They only got fired. And of course, there’s an outrage. Only God can solve this kind of mess, this kind of hatred. And He will unite us – in His good time and in His good way. But of course, that may be too late for some who reject Him now. In the meantime, we keep on studying. I was encouraged again today by a reader who appreciates how we try to simplify the passages here. Thank you, K.B., but I assure you, I too am benefitting from this. So much to learn and take in.  Keep on trucking.  Please comment on blog, share it, and/or ask questions that arise. Now let’s turn what God said about compensation for priests.

The Passage

This chapter (in verses 1-3) clarifies the duties of Aaron and his sons (the priesthood) verses those of the Levites (their assistants). Aaron and Sons are held responsible for any offenses related to or in connection with the sanctuary and the priesthood. But their brothers, the rest of the tribe of Levi will serve them in their duties, but they cannot go near the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both Aaron’s family and the Levites would die.

Verse 4 says that no outsider may enter the tent of meeting or go near Aaron or the priests. Verse 5 says this division of duties is intended to eliminate the wrath of the sons of Israel (the whole congregation).

In verse 6, God assures Aaron that the men He has given them as helpers are a) a gift, and b) dedicated to the Lord, for the purpose of performing their work. Verse 7 informs us that God is giving Aaron and Sons the priesthood as a bestowed gift, or honor, or present.

Then in verse 8 God continues talking to Aaron and up to verse 20, the chapter reviews the ‘remuneration’ of Aaron and Sons – that is, what they get to keep for their services that they may share with their families. And this was to go on perpetually in the future. Verse 10 tells us that the food portions of their compensation are to considered holy and eaten. In verse 12, God says He is the One giving Aaron’s family the fresh oil, fresh wine, the grain, and the first fruits.

In verses 14-15, God says that every “devoted” thing in Israel would belong to the priests. That includes all firstborns. But the firstborn of man they will need to redeem.

Verses 16-19 give more instructions about the redemption price, and what is not to be redeemed; as well as how to deal with the blood of the firstborn of an ox or a sheep or a goat.

And God reminds Aaron (in verse 20) that he and his sons are not to have any inheritance in their land nor own any portion of it, as He [God] alone is their portion and inheritance.

Then in verse 21, God turns His attention to the sons of Levi that were to help Aaron and Sons in their work. He indicates He has given them “the tithe” for their service. That tithe comes from the Israel of Israel (the whole congregation). That is their inheritance and they have no other inheritance among the sons of Israel.

Finally, in this chapter, God speaks again to Moses (verse 25). Moses was to tell the Levites that when they get the tithe from the rest of Israel, they still have to tithe on it to the Lord – a tithe of the tithe (vs. 26). They were to give the Lord the best of the tithe, and the rest was theirs (verse 31) for themselves and their families. This was their ‘compensation’ for their services in the tent of meeting.

The chapter ends by telling the Levites that doing what God asks here will clear them from any guilt or sin with respect to receiving or taking this tithe from the people. However, they were not to treat these gifts from the people as though they were common in any way. Doing so would mean they would die.

Thoughts on the Passage

After God proved to the sons of Israel that Aaron and family were indeed the divinely-appointed priests and that the Levites were to only help them, He then went about to eliminate any further wrath by specifying their separate areas of operation, their duties and responsibilities, and the process by which they were to be compensated. He also indicated what the penalty was for both the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi if they messed this up – they would die.  Here’s the first point – God never assigns anyone any “authority” without assigning them a corresponding “responsibility”. Take note when God give you an assignment – there is no option as to how well you apply yourself to it.

The very desire of God to eliminate the wrath of the people tells me a lot about God. Not only does He give us instructions, but He cares about psychologically and emotional states. He didn’t want His people to be angry, or furious, or annoyed. That’s God’s “father-side”. As parents, we sometimes not only decide disputes among our children, but we also then try to work with those that feel they got the short end of the straw. Why do we do that – because we love them. That’s our God.

God also assures Aaron that the helpers God has given him and his sons are hand-picked, fully qualified to do the work – they’re a gift from God and dedicated to God. When God assigns you a responsibility, He knows what help you need and how much. In fact, in this case, those helpers are to be perceived by Aaron as a gift, an honor. We could well ask ourselves how we view our helpers, our workers? Do we see them as God’s gift and treat them in the appropriate manner, encouraging them, developing them, and so on?

Just to make this a little clearer:
-- Aaron and his family were part of the tribe of Levi – but only his family was given responsibility for the priesthood.
-- the Levites were one of the tribes of the congregation of Israel (or the sons of Israel) and they were given assignments as helpers to the priests.
-- the whole congregation or Israel were the ones that would go to the priests with their sacrifices and their offerings.

And then of course God has a lot to say about how Aaron and Sons, as well as the Levite helpers are to be compensated then and into the future. What’s important here is that we are to see our compensation as being provided to us by God (verse 12).

In verse 20, we see God saying to Aaron and Sons that they are not to have any other inheritance except what He provides for them as per His instructions. How do we transfer that idea over to our compensation of pastors or clergy today? I remember some time ago being part of a church board that had hired a new pastor. One issue that arose was whether to allow he and his family to stay in a house belonging to the church, or to enable him to buy his own house with reduced or interest-free loans, etc. I opted for the latter, thinking more of the pastor’s long-term needs, even past retirement. Although, studying this passage, I’m open to the possibility that I was wrong. Why did God say they were to have no other inheritance, especially land?  On the other hand, we did read earlier in the book of Leviticus, chapter 25, verse 34 that the Levites were given lands to dwell in (they just didn’t own these outright). And even after retirement, they remained contacted to the tent of meeting, and would benefit from the gifts received by the younger, active priests. Since that is not the case for our pastors today – we don’t usually keep them until they die, perhaps encouraging them to own their own property as a retirement investment isn’t such a bad idea.

David Guzik reminds us that the concept of tithing was practiced and honored by God before the Law of Moses was given as indicated in Hebrews 7:5-9.

It’s also interesting that God tells Moses, not Aaron, that the Levites had to tithe on their tithe. That wasn’t Aaron’s job to tell them. It was Moses’ responsibility. And it had to be driven home. I like the idea of a title on a tithe. I know that some churches and some charities I have been involved with take a tenth of their tithes and pass them on to other more needy organizations in observance of this idea. I like it.

[Having said that, I would point out that there is no evidence that priests themselves (Aaron and Sons) had to tithe on what came into the tabernacle. Guzik believes that it was unlikely that they would have to tithe on what they got because “because what belonged to the priests was considered holy, and not to be used by others outside the priestly families.” How do we resolve this issue then of should pastors tithe? Pastors, in my humble opinion, are not required to tithe if they are considered part of the ‘priesthood’ as we understood Aaron and Sons to be. On the other hand, if they are seen as “servants” in God’s house, then they would be required to tithe. While, for Christians, Jesus Christ is our one and only High Priest, then pastors are clearly not the present-day equivalent of Aaron. On the other hand, the New Testament in I Peter 2:9 says we are all “priests”, so either we don’t have to tithe (which is clearly not the case) or pastors are like us and they too have to tithe. No one said that the model of the Old Testament Israelite Congregation and the model of the New Testament Church would match perfectly. Thank God for that.]

One other comment I would make here is that it appears, generally speaking, that Aaron and Sons got the offerings from the sacrifices and the Levites got the tithes. However, in those days, I believe the source of both was the people of Israel. Tithes were more closely related to “first fruits” and offerings were more closely related to the various sacrifices that were required. In the modern church – we have moved away from the idea of the various sacrifices and/or the first-borns being dedicated to God’s service.  Instead, we made the idea of the “tithe” the basic donation of a believer – 10% of their earnings and even then, we argue about whether it is net or gross. [I personally believe it should be gross (before taxes) because I want to give back to God first, before I give to the government; but hey, that’s just my take – you have to decide for yourself.] And then over and above the tithe, we have our “offerings” unto God when we feel Him say, “I want you to support this or that cause.”  The matter is further complicated when we put everything in the same collection plate as we take up an “offering” – although some churches or pastors specifically refer to this so-called offering as being composed of our “tithes and offerings”.

Finally, the chapter ends by saying to the Levites that if they did what God instructed – that is, a tithe on the tithe – they would be clear of any guilt or sin with respect to them being accused of taking this ‘tithe’ from the people.  And that is why I love it when a pastor can say (in an appropriate way without bragging or shaming others, but as a means of being a role model) that he and his family are also tithing and when God directs them, are giving ‘offerings’ as well.

And, let us not forget verse 32 that indicates they had to treat that whole ‘tithe’ as special, belonging to God. Failure to do so, and misusing it in any way, would mean death.

So, here’s my questions: Have we thought about how God would have us compensate our pastors? Have we thought about what provisions we should make for them and their families now and in the future?

And if we are the ones being compensated, can God say of us, “You are clear of any guilt with respect to your compensation?”

The gems in Numbers continue to be found.  Although I do admit this was a difficult chapter. Thanks for hanging in there. Would love to have your comments on social media (if you got here by there) or preferably on the blog itself.  And if you have questions, let’s discuss them. Thanks. Until next time.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

"Let Me Take a Dead Piece of Wood and Bring Life Out of It Overnight. Will That Do It?" -- God

Numbers Chapter 17: Confirmation of the Divine Call

Numbers 17:1-13

Day 69. Well, thanks to my IT friend we were able to make sure you can leave comments again once you click into a specific blog. Then you’ll see the comment box. Leave us a comment or a question. We love interaction and that’s what the study of God’s Word should be like – all of studying together.  The lockdown continues. Nothing new of significance to report. Except we did find we were unable to purchase tomato and cucumber plants for our vegetable garden. Perhaps everyone in Michigan bought them all up to spite their governor who tried to ban the purchase of seeds for planting.  Oh well, judgement day is ‘a-coming’.  Meanwhile we press on.

The Passage

17 ^[a]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the sons of Israel, and get from them a rod for each father’s household: twelve rods, from all their leaders according to their fathers’ households. You shall write each name on his rod, ³ and write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there is one rod for the head of each of their fathers’ households. ⁴ You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you. ⁵ It will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.” ⁶ Moses therefore spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ households, twelve rods, with the rod of Aaron among their rods. ⁷ So Moses deposited the rods before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

⁸ Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. ⁹ Moses then brought out all the rods from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. ¹⁰ But the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony ^[b]to be kept as a sign against the ^[c]rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.” ¹¹ Thus Moses did; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.

¹² Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying! ¹³ Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die. Are we to perish completely?”

Footnotes

1. Numbers 17:1 Ch 17:16 in Heb
2. Numbers 17:10 Lit for preserving
3. Numbers 17:10 Lit sons of rebellion

Thoughts on the Passage

God, using Moses and Aaron as intercessors, stops the plague from killing more Israelites who had rebelled against him, and the approaches Moses with some more instructions. The people were about to see another miracle proving the that God was indeed behind Aaron as the High Priest of the congregation.

God told Moses to have each of the twelve tribes bring a leader’s “rod” to him, Moses. Remember these rods were symbols of authority. And that’s what God wanted to establish here – the appointed Authority over His house.  On each rod, Moses was to write the name of the tribe’s leader, including the name of Aaron on the rod from the tribe of Levi. Once that was done, all 12 rods were to be put into the tent of meeting in front of the place where God normally met with Moses. Then just watch. These rods were, according to Robert Jamieson, of dry sticks or wands, probably old, as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding.

One of the rods would actually sprout (something very difficult with old dried out rods) – the owner of that rod was to be the one that God had chosen. It is interesting that the text says that God was doing this in order to lessen the amount of grumbling that the Israelites were undertaking against Moses. Again, God was acting on behalf of His servant, not Himself. That is something that we often forget about our God. He acts on our behalf, not His.

And Moses got the rods from the Israelites, put their names on them, and on the same day placed in the tent of meeting as instructed, near the ark. He left them overnight and went in again the next day to find that Aaron’s rod had sprouted, produced buds and blossoms, and if that’s not enough, bore ripe almonds – in one day. Can you imagine one old dry (Guzik says ‘dead’) rod, bearing three stages of development at the same time, in one day?  He took all the rods out to the sons of Israel, and each man took his rod.

All except Aaron’s rod as God asked Moses to put it back and to keep it there as a sign “against the rebels” to end the grumbling against God – and I love this next phrase, “so that they would not die.” To put it in modern human talk, God was ready to kill them; He was so angry with their repeated grumblings. David Guzik says God wanted to give them (again) another unmistaken display of evidence that would end their grumbling once and for all. And Moses obeyed.

Now of course the sons of Israel were scared and asked Moses, “Are we to perish completely as it seems we are all dying and it appears that everyone who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die?”  So, if you were Moses, what would you do?  How would you answer them now?

We should point out here that Robert Jamieson tells us that some see this as a new springing forth of more grumblings and others see it as an indication of a reverential and submissive spirit. I don’t know the answer to that one, but if you look at verse 13 in the passage, clearly there is hint at “hey, that’s not fair; is God going to punish us for every little offense we make?” For that alone, I would agree with those that say this is more grumbling. But I’m open if our readers see it differently. By the way, Matthew Henry in his commentary, says the answer is that the verse indicates both dismay at God’s insistence and an indication that they finally understood. To be seen as we continue our study in Numbers.

Now Guzik also raises a question that many of us may be asking and he answers it: “If God demonstrated His choice of Aaron [from the tribe of Levi] and his descendants as priests for Israel, how can Jesus be our high priest, as Hebrews 2:17 says? Because Jesus is a high priest of the order of Melchizedek [from way before the Levi], not Aaron (Hebrews 7).”  For more on this you may want to check out Who Was Melchizedek.

Gems we can take from this chapter:
i. God often acts on our behalf, not His.
ii. God is very insistent on His way, not ours.
iii. When God goes to establish or prove something to us mere humans, He does it in technicolor.

That’s our God. Hang in there. Please take the time to comment in the blog and to share this blog with your friends. Next time we take a look at how the priests were to be paid. Interesting.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Have you ever been part of a rebellion? In your family, work, church, city, or country?

Numbers 16:1-14 The Rebellion of Korah

Day 63. We made it to nine weeks of “please stay at home” advice, and in many cases, required compliance. That’s equivalent to a whole summer’s vacation for students. Got word yesterday that the U.S. and Canada are negotiating a further extension to the ban on non-essential cross-border travel. That means we can’t go see our family in the south. The two camps on the seriousness of the virus, the best way to get over it, and even on what caused it and who knew what when continue to fight each other in every way they can think of.  Schools in Ontario were officially declared closed until the fall, so parents have another three and a half months to ‘enjoy’ their children at home, or not. We press on studying God’s Word and finding new gems every day, even in the otherwise unexciting book of Numbers. Read on.

The Passage

16 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, ² and they rose up before Moses, ^[a]together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, ^[b]chosen in the assembly, men of renown. ³ They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “^[c]You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

⁴ When Moses heard this, he fell on his face; ⁵ and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His, and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself. ⁶ Do this: take censers for yourselves, Korah and all ^[d]your company, ⁷ and put fire in them, and lay incense upon them in the presence of the Lord tomorrow; and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the one who is holy. ^[e]You have gone far enough, you sons of Levi!”

⁸ Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi, ⁹ is it ^[f]not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; ¹⁰ and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking for the priesthood also?¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord; but as for Aaron, ^[g]who is he that you grumble against him?”

¹² Then Moses sent ^[h]a summons to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come up. ¹³ Is it ^[i]not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the wilderness, but you would also lord it over us? ¹⁴ Indeed, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you ^[j]put out the eyes of ^[k]these men? We will not come up!”

Footnotes

1. Numbers 16:2 Lit and men from
2. Numbers 16:2 Lit called ones of
3. Numbers 16:3 Lit It is much for you
4. Numbers 16:6 Lit his
5. Numbers 16:7 Lit It is much for you
6. Numbers 16:9 Or too little for you
7. Numbers 16:11 Lit what
8. Numbers 16:12 Lit to call
9. Numbers 16:13 Lit a little thing
10. Numbers 16:14 Lit bore out
11. Numbers 16:14 Lit those

Thoughts on the Passage

We note that the rebellious group was not just Korah (from the tribe of the Levites), but he was joined by Dathan and Abiram (from the tribe of Reuben). But these three were able to incite 250 others, all ‘leaders’ of the people to rise up and assemble against Moses and Aaron. It is amazing how just one disgruntled person, can convince two others, and how three can convince 250 other men who were ‘renown’ amongst the people to act in opposition to leaders appointed by God. [By the way, Korah is also mentioned in the book of Jude, verse 11. David Guzik points out that Both Moses and Korah were descended from Kohath, but by different sons (Moses through Amram {Numbers 26:58-59}, and Korah through Izhar). Also as Matthew Henry points out, On is mentioned (verse 1) as one of the heads of the faction, but never after in the whole story, either because, as some think, he repented and left them, or because he did not make himself so remarkable as Dathan and Abiram did.]

Henry further notes that “the Kohathites encamped on the same side of the tabernacle that the Reubenites did, which perhaps gave Korah an opportunity of drawing them in, whence the Jews say, ‘Woe to the wicked man, and woe to his neighbor, who is in danger of being infected by him.’”

They told Moses and Aaron that they had over-extended their power and authority, and it appears their claim on being ‘holy’ and that “God was with them alone”. The rebels felt every single person in the congregation was holy and that God was with them too. So they weren’t pleased with the idea that Moses and Aaron were ‘exalting’ themselves above them. This accusation of pride and exclusionary leadership according to David Guzik was made in public, playing to the audience of 250 leaders. Rebels often play to an audience. In fact, we see it daily from our politicians, especially those in opposition to an elected administration. We note, like Guzik, that with these 250 leaders, Korah himself was, from a human perspective, successful. How often do we get duped by a humanly successful leader when in fact that leader may take us down the wrong path? Once again, the Jim Jones Jonestown, Guyana, massacre in 1978, comes to mind.

[The rebels also felt there was too much nepotism going on – you know, Moses getting the cushy job for Aaron his brother, and Miriam, his sister, having a special role with respect to the tabernacle. People grumble the same way today when they see a ‘family’ doing well. And I have no problem with that as long as appointed family members have the ability to do the job they need to do well.]

My guess is that when Moses fell on his face in verse 4, he prayed.  He always prayed when faced with opposition or challenges like this one. We don’t know how long of a break there was between verse 4 and verse 5 when he replies to his accusers.

And now comes the predecessor of what I call the “fire from heaven Elijah test” as we read in I Kings 18. Moses tells Korah and his gang that “in the morning God will show who is His”. In the morning God would show whom He draws to Himself; whom He chooses. Robert Jamieson reminds us that “in the morning” is the usual time of meeting in the East for the settlement of public affairs.

Moses must have been very sure of himself to acclaim this future act of God’s. But then again we must remember that Moses had seen the power of God over and over again in Egypt and so far in the wilderness. We also know that God chose Moses to complete a very special assignment and He gave Moses the right to speak for Him, telling the Isralites long ago (in Exodus 3) that He Who calls Himself the “I AM WHO I AM” has sent him (Moses) to them. As I read these thoughts now, I am reminded of the fact that Moses was “sent by God” to the people to deliver them from Egypt and their slavery. So likewise, Jesus was sent by God to His people years later to deliver us from our sin and slavery to it. Moses was no ordinary man; he could be sure of God’s support.

And with that confidence he tells the rebels to take censers (a container, usually covered, in which incense is burned, especially during religious services), fill them with incense, and set them on fire before the Lord, and see what happens. And Moses ends his little speech with an admonition to Korah and company, especially since Korah was a Levite. They had, in the words of Moses, “gone too far”. Perhaps he was worried that he could no longer expect God to forgive them again. They had already cashed in their last chip. I have a relative who feels like that – they feel they have sinned so often and so badly, that there is no way God can forgive them. That must be a terrible feeling. Unfortunately, some who feel that way also use it as an excuse never to come to grips with the issue of their relationship with God. All the rest of us can do is continue to pray.

[As I was doing this study, my wife just informed me about how miraculously God worked in the lives a couple we were praying for. The expression used was the sincere attempt at a change came “out of the blue”. And God does indeed work out of the blue. Moses knew that.  We believe it. Let’s keep looking for God to work “out of the blue” for us and for those we are praying for.]

Moses now more directly addresses Korah and those that were from the tribe of Reuben. How could these men not consider it sufficient that God Himself had separated them from the other tribes, had drawn them close to Him, to serve the Lord in the tabernacle, and to minister before the people? The Kohathites had, according to Guzik, the most exalted duty among the Levites; their charge was to carry the most holy things of the temple, after Aaron and his sons had covered them with the specially prepared coverings (Numbers 4:15). Moses tried to expose a possible desire of Korah himself and those close to him – the attainment of the office of ‘priests’ not just helpers in the Tent.

If that was the case, Moses indicates he could see why they are grumbling against the Lord, and perhaps even himself.  But what did these people have to grumble against Aaron himself?  There was no response that we know of. I love what Guzik says about Korah and how he would have led Israel as compared to Moses:

It is unbelievably easy for the Korahs of this world to sit back and say, "If I was leading the nation at Kadesh Barnea, I would have done thus and so." But Korah was not leading the nation, and men of his type rarely do. God rarely puts the Monday-morning quarterbacks, the backseat drivers, in positions of real leadership - except as a chastisement, to show them just how difficult leadership really is - and that perfect leadership, like perfect anything, is impossible.

Can we remember that as we watch rebels today? Can we remember that as we watch world politicians today? Can we apply that to our own leadership or rebellious thoughts, words, and actions today?

After that, Moses calls for the two leaders in the gang from Reuben’s tribe, Dathan and Abiram. But they refuse to go and see Moses, complaining further that not only had Moses taken them from “a land flowing with milk and honey” (boy, was Egypt ever glorified in their minds – remember, memory makes the mind murky, it colors the past), and now he was “lording it over them”. They felt cheated out of the promised land, the real land flowing with milk and honey and out of their inheritance of fields and vineyards. They accused Moses of wanting to “bore out” their eyes. So they refused to go and see him. Wow.

This was a total defiance of Moses’ authority and leadership. They would only follow and listen to God. What they missed was the very fact that Moses was God’s appointee. It would have been one thing if Moses had sinned. It is another thing to make up accusations against God’s anointed and appointed. In cases like this we must always check the hearts – both of the accusers and the accused. And then speak up – either in support of those who rightly judge or in defense of the one being falsely accused (as in this case). Our silence is not only a weakness, but it may be a sin.

In our next study, we will see how Moses and God both react. Hope you caught all the lesson gems that God gave us here through this rebellion.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.