King James Daily Bible Study: Fighting Against Rebels
Date: Sunday February 20, 2011
Chapters: Numbers 16-18
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-february-20
Details of Today's Reading: The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, the intercession of Moses and Aaron, the earth swallows up Dathan and Abiram, the people murmur and a plague sent, twelve rods laid up before the Lord, and the orders of the priests and Levites.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
The word rebellion is defined as an open, organized, and armed resistance to one's government or ruler, a resistance to or defiance of any authority, control, or tradition. Most often people who rebel against God rebel against any form of authority. The worse thing is that they do not keep it to themselves, they are usually obnoxious, loud, and seem to attract every other obnoxious and loud person as well. The Bible says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” - Isaiah 1:18-20. While we all have a little bit of defiance in us from time to time, there is a big difference between acting upon ourselves and getting others involved. Rest assure if we remain faithful to God even when rebels tempt us we will be rewarded. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” - Colossians 3:23,24.

After all that had gone on in the past few days you would have thought the the Israelites would have just let things go and get back to doing what God had commanded them, but that could not be further from the truth. Have you ever watched a movie where a bunch of people ganged up on one person? The leader of the pack stands back and watches as one idiot after another thinks he will be the one to take him out, only to get a worse beating. Well, a few men somehow talked two hundred and fifty men to join with them and confront Moses and Aaron.

“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:..And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?” - Numbers 16:1-4,20-22.

Moses could have let God consume every person there, but instead he pleaded for their lives. While God is in control and will do anything He wants, He still allows people to change His mind from time to time. Today, Jesus stands before God and pleads with Him for every person that comes to Him. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” - Matthew 10:32-34.

God saved the faithful, but He did not save the rebellious group, While He wants everyone to repent and be saved He will please the rebels as well and not save them. All the men that rebelled at who God put in authority over the Tabernacle were swallowed by an earthquake.

“And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind...And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.” - Numbers 16:26-33.

If rebels are going to cause the righteous to sin God will separate them, sometimes He is subtle, but most of the time He is going to let the whole congregation know that they are no longer welcome in His Church. I have seen some faithful people come and go in my church, after a while I could see that those people were not as faithful as they appeared and understand why God removed them from the congregation. God will not consume the entire congregation, just those who rebel and cause others to rebel. “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.” - I Peter 4:3-5.

God not only separates the rebels from the righteous He also rewards those who remain faithful to Him. God reconfirmed the covenant that He made with the Levites, they would be the ones who would do the service of His ministry and all the rest of the tribes would give to them accordingly.

“And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness...And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.” - Numbers 18:1,2,31.

God always rewards those who diligently seek and serve Him, we do not have to give into the rebellious instigators, God is always with us, even if we have to live amongst them and will take care of His people. The most important thing anyone can do to overcome those who cause us to rebel is to put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through Aaron and his sons, who pleaded with God to save the Israelites.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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