HATH GOD SAID PART IV Kay Keith Peebles 5/17/19 19.16
“If you stand with the majority, you can be sure you’re in the right!” That was the advice of one of my closest authority figures growing up. Although I loved and deeply respected that person, I found their advice to be wrong.
It didn’t take long to learn the lesson. The school took our 9th grade class on an outing to Six Flags Over Texas. I had been looking forward for that group trip for several months. It was a wonderful theme park and at that time it was the most exciting place in Texas. What could be better than spending the day at Six Flags over Texas with all your friends?
Up until that day, I can honestly say I had been a model student. I worked hard and obeyed all the rules to the best of my ability. I had always tried to avoid trouble. We arrived at the school parking lot at 6:30 a.m. and began loading in the school busses. We had a drive of two and one half hours and wanted to be there at the time they opened. Our sponsors had told us we were to report to the busses by 7p.m. to load up and return home. The park was open until 10 p.m., and several of the students on my bus were upset that we had to leave so early. The conversation quickly spread through the whole group and by the time we arrived at the park, there was a majority consensus that we should all agree not to return to the busses until 9p.m. There were only six counselors and we were a large group.
We also agreed when we arrived we would entice the students on the other bus to do the same. We believed there was power in our numbers. The principal’s son was one of the instigators of this coup so we all felt quite sure we would be okay. After all, it was our day. It wasn’t fair to cut it short. It never dawned on us that we would be holding the sponsors hostage by keeping them later than they had agreed. Nor did it occur to us that we were rebelling against our school authorities. We were only concerned about what we wanted to do. Selfishness and pride fueled our rebellion against our school representatives and parents.
The day was perfect and we were able to ride all the rides we had wanted. After the time we were to meet at the busses passed, I noticed we were not seeing many of the kids at the park. By the time those in my group got to the busses at 9p.m., there was only one of our school busses remaining in the parking lot. Most of the students had backed out without letting the rest of us know.
We were met with stern and angry faces from our school representatives. They seated us one student to a row and told us there would be absolutely NO talking, making it a rough and lonely ride home. We returned to our school around midnight and our parents were steaming. Monday morning I was called to the principal’s office like all the other late comers and sat down for a terrifying one-on-one with the school principal. The menacing look on his face made me cringe. In my defense, I told him it was his son’s idea, but he wasn’t the least bit compassionate. Agreeing with the majority did not pay off! I was grateful I walked away with only a firm scolding. That lesson was a hard one to learn but it left an imprint on my heart.
Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14.
Jesus was asked a question by a follower of His, “‘Lord, are there few who are saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’” Luke 13:23-24. Truly, the majority will not enter heaven. Instead, they will follow the road to destruction.
Rebellion is a nasty spirit. Jealousy, pride and presumption feed it, giving it entitlement. It rejects Truth and assumes it is in the right. The Bible calls it witchcraft. It feels comfortable because it is in the company of the majority!
Rebellion began in the garden with Adam and Eve when they ignored the Lord’s commandment and ate of the forbidden fruit. See Genesis Chapter 3. Essau, Isaac’s oldest son rebelled against his parents and God’s will by marrying pagan women. It cost him his birthright and blessing which he flippantly sold to his brother. The Lord passed him and gave it to Jacob, his younger brother. See Genesis Chapter 25: 19-23, and Chapter 27.
Korah rebelled against Moses when the Israelites were journeying through the wilderness. He and three other men rose up in rebellion against Moses accusing him and Aaron of exalting themselves above the people. “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 men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, ‘You take too much upon yourselves for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Assembly of the LORD?’” Numbers 16:1-3.
Moses fell down on his face in humility seeking God. He then told Korah the confrontation would be the next day. Rather than defending himself, he left it up to God to judge between them. He instructed Korah, “Do this; Take censers, Korah and all your company; put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!” Numbers 16:6-7. God had appointed Moses and Aaron as His leaders using them mightily against Pharaoh. Aaron was to be the high priest. Moses warned Korah that he had thought very little about the important position the Lord had given him and the men with him. Instead, Korah wanted Moses’ position.
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall.” Proverbs 16:18. “A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.” Proverbs 29:23.
Korah and the two hundred fifty men with him came before Moses the next day with their lit censers to stand before the LORD. Moses told them they were not coming before himself, but before the LORD God. Numbers 16:8-11. “And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’ Then they fell on their faces, and said, O God the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and You be angry with all the congregation?’ So the LORD spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’…And Moses said, ‘By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will’…Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, ‘Lest the earth swallow us up also!’ And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred fifty men who were offering Incense.” Numbers 16:12-35; emphasis mine. Rebellion against the LORD is a serious matter! Korah, like Essau, was full of pride and his own importance which blinded his eyes to the disaster that lay ahead of him and the two hundred fifty men he influenced. The showdown was a majority of two hundred fifty against two but God was the judge! Had the whole congregation not separated themselves from Korah and the men with him, they too would have been swallowed up into the pit for eternal torment.
Today, the majority of people in the world have rejected God and His Law. Motivated by presumption and an antichrist spirit they have stood in the streets to defy the LORD God by calling evil good and good evil. Many dare to proclaim they know what is right and just while they ridicule the people of God like Korah accused Aaron and Moses. Sadly, many of the church are standing beside them as the congregation of the Lord did with Korah. The LORD is calling His people to come away from the rebellion of the world and separate themselves from them by fully consecrating their lives to Him. To not do so will eventually mean eternal disaster. We must pray for those who have been deceived and caught up in the lie.
Paul initially rejected the Messiah Jesus whom the Lord had sent to Israel. However, He had a life-changing encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. His answer to rebellion is found in the fourth chapter of Ephesians. “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another (in the body of Christ) in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:1-6; Emphasis mine.
When my mother would give me instructions and I didn’t like them I would ask “Why”? Her response was usually, “Because I said so!” The LORD God created the heavens and the earth. He gave mankind life with great plans for love, fellowship with Him, peace and holiness. From the beginning mankind has rebelled against the LORD. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. See James 4:6. It will be the humble who will fill heaven, not the prideful rebels. He has not changed, nor had His word. Our loving Creator Savior deserves to be LORD over all our lives. He knows what is best for His children. His word is Truth and life-transforming. Heavenly Father, we ask for and trust You to give us the wisdom we need to discern these difficult times. Help us to not only navigate these challenging waters safely, but allow us to help others in their walk with you. Give us the courage to step away from the world and draw near to You where we will be safe, bringing as many with us as we can.
We are to conform to His image, not that of the world. Hath He said? Yes He has!
