Honor

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Korach, meaning "Bald." The reading portion found in Numbers 16 centers around an attempted mutiny, a rebellion, an overthrow. The protagonists of the rebellion are led by a Levite named Korah, which is where this Sabbath's title comes from. Korah, with a small group of fellow rebels, convinced two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation of the Israelites, who were men of renown, to challenge the authority of Moses and Aaron, who had been appointed by God to lead His people. God had shown His appointment of Moses through signs, wonders and miracles, including the judgments against Egypt that led to the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. There was just no doubt that Moses walked in the authority that he had not taken upon himself but was appointed to Him by God. Moses warned the rebels that "the LORD will show (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him." (Num. 16:4-5). In this rebellion, the LORD did show that Moses was His appointed servant, and the rebels were destroyed by God using consuming fire and earthquake, as the earth opened her (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) mouth and swallowed the rebels alive. (v. 31-35).

     The meaning of Korah's name is related to baldness. The spiritual baldness of Korah was in his removal of the covering of God, through His servant Moses, from off of himself and off of the people of Israel. Korah had declared that he and the people of Israel were just as holy as Moses, so why should Moses have the leadership? (v. 3). It is the LORD, however, who makes one holy, and it is the LORD who decides who He will allow to come near to Him, as we read in the above verse. (see also Ezek. 44:15-16). It is not dependent upon man's opinion, nor a popular vote.

     Korah and the rebels who stood with him couched their own envy and covetousness of power and leadership by misapplying and misstating before the people the intentions of the LORD in calling an individual to come near to Him. And the leader of the rebels, Korah, was a Levite, who was graciously allowed by the LORD to minister in the tabernacle and claim God as his inheritance. Moses asked Korah the Levite if this honor wasn't enough for him? (Num. 16: 8-11).

     Look at these terrible words from Proverbs about never being enough: "There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation - oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The (horse)leech (aluqa - leech, vampire-like demon, monster or specter that is an insatiable sucker of blood) has two daughters - Give and Give! There are three things that are never satisfied, four never say, Enough!": The grave, The barren womb, The earth that is not satisfied with water - and the fire never says, "Enough!" (Prov. 30:11-16).

     Moses asked Korah if being a Levite in service to God was not enough for him. As Proverbs tells us above, no, it was not enough for someone like Korah. The comparison to a leech above also has a demonic or monstrous connection in Hebrew to the demand of not having or being "enough."

     Korah and his rebels had a contempt for the leadership or spiritual covering of Moses. The "leech" spoken of in Proverbs despises the covering of mother and father. The apostle Paul warned that those who "did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting...". Some of those things include unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, being full of envy, covetousness, murder, strife, backbiters, haters of God, violent, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, unmerciful, etc. (Rom. 1:28-32, excerpt). The disobedience towards parents is included in the same group as murder! This gives us much food for thought.

     God's command to honor our parents is found in the center of The Ten Commandments. Placing this command in the center of the commandments is as if the LORD is making a connection or bridge between the honor that we are to give Him as God, expressed in the first half of the Commandments, and the honor which we are to give our fellow man, expressed in the second half of the Commandments. The word "honor" used is the Hebrew word kabad, which is the root of the word kabod, referring to the glory of God. The word kabad includes a duality of meaning. While kabad, honor, means "honored, be glorious, glorify, be rich, abounding, prevail, show oneself great, numerous," it also means "burdensome, severe, dull, heavy, unresponsive, make insensible, grievously afflict, harden the heart or mind, enormity of wickedness." There is both a blessing of glory and a curse of wickedness attached to the word kabad honor. It pays to be on the good side of God's glory.

     There are many mentions in scripture warning against being disrespectful and disobedient to parents. (see Ex. 20:12/Deut. 5:16, Lev. 20:9, Deut. 21:18-21). Jesus warned against this also in Mt. 15:3-6/Mk. 7:9-13. Jesus, Himself, was noted as being obedient to His parents. (Lk. 2:51-52). Paul later wrote for children to obey their parents in the Lord and to honor them. (Eph. 6:1-2). The principle of honoring (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) parents was so important to God that He attached a blessing and a promise for those who followed this commandment: "...that your days may be long upon the land (adama - land, country, earth, ground, sustenance and substance yielded by the whole inhabited earth) which the LORD your God is giving you." (Ex. 20:12, link above). Deuteronomy 21:21 (link above) describes the person who rebels against his parents as committing a ra evil, a misery or wickedness that breaks something into pieces and is worthy of death. As Paul wrote in Romans 1 (see above), it is an evil that comes from men's hatred and rejection of God.

     The disrespect for parents is so widespread today that we almost take it for granted and accept it as a "normal" occurrence. Because of this, the death sentence that Gods assigns to this issue seems very harsh to us. However, The LORD understood that this kind of rebellion was a kind that spreads with consequences to a whole nation. All of the people of Israel would be in danger and should be in fear of the LORD because of it as noted in Deut. 21:21 (link above). The LORD treats it as a malevolence that has a spiritual or demonic root, as we saw in connection to the "leeches" mentioned in Proverbs 30 above. While we as a society would never execute someone for despising his/her parents, we should examine it as a spiritual evil that requires repentance and spiritual warfare in prayer. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places - the spiritual "leeches." (Eph. 6:12-13).

     From another reading portion of this Korach, "Bald", Sabbath, the people of Israel decided to reject the leadership of Samuel, the great prophet and judge of Israel, in order to demand a king instead. They wanted to be like the nations around them: "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, 'No, but we will have a king over us, that we may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) our battles." (1 Sam. 8:19-20). The LORD had told Samuel to do as the people demanded: "...for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected (ma'as - reject, despise, destroy, refuse, become loathsome, [treat as an] utterly vile person) Me, that I should not reign over them." (v. 6-9, excerpt). When the faithful servant of God is rejected, it is really the rejection of God. The people even desired to place their protection and defense, not in God's hands, but in the hands of a man, an earthly king. Samuel reminded Israel that God had raised up Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt and into the land. He reminded them that God also had raised up judges to deliver them from oppressors, yet the people said they wanted a king instead. (1 Sam. 12:6-15).

     Generations of God's people were impacted by good godly kings and terrible kings. Their nation even became divided into two kingdoms for about five hundred years as men struggled for thrones. Some kings even led Israel into the worship of demonic gods that demanded the sacrifice of children and other degenerate and depraved practices. However, Israel still clung to its kings until they were taken away into captivity to Babylon (babel/balal - confusion by mixing, confusion of speech/to mix oneself, to go from being poured over with oil [anointed] to being poured together in a confusing mixture, to be given as food for animals).

     Later in time, when Jesus, the anointed and appointed King and Lord, came to the earth, people still chose the earthly kings Caesar and his puppet Herod to rule over them instead of Him. As the time approaches for Messiah/Christ's return as King of kings and Lord of lords, the people of earth will again have chosen Babylon and its beast instead of God. Those people will also find themselves on the wrong side of God's kabad honor and glory as the Lord tears those spiritual and natural strongholds down.

     We are used to the idea of expressing opinions, choosing for ourselves, voting for men and women to represent us in government, which are the rights of a free society. However, there are some things so important to our welfare that the LORD, who is all seeing and all-knowing, has appointed them, rather than ask for our opinion and vote.

     When we ma'as reject those who have been appointed by God to be our spiritual covering and exchange them for those who listen to and answer to men and not God, we leave ourselves "bald."  

     When we decide that the servants of God whom He appointed to cover us are imperfect, while we ourselves are also imperfect, or when we consider them to be not "enough", we leave ourselves "bald."

     In these perilous times, we do not want to find ourselves on the wrong side of the kabad honor and glory of God. I see the message of this Sabbath's Korach reading portion to be a timely flashing light of warning and reminder.

     If you would like to learn more about the covering of God, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, I treasure Your covering over my life. I thank You for caring enough for me to set Your covering over me and my household. I want the words out of my mouth to always be "not my will but Yours, Lord, be done." Let the voice of Your Holy Spirit, and not my own voice or the voices of others, determine my steps and my future. Your plans for me are for good and not for evil, and to bring me a hope and a future. Let my soul never say that it is not "enough", but let my spirit say, "Your grace, Lord, is sufficient for me." Father, You see the end from the beginning, and of all of my days and of all that concerns me, You have written in Your Book. I trust in You, Lord, for myself and my household, for the Church and for the nation and unto the ends of the earth. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

LORDSHIP

Reminder: Beginning in July, Google will stop sending automatic notifications of new postings for blogs such as this one that are published under "blogspot.com". If you have been receiving notifications, or would like to receive them, please enter your email address in the box in the upper right corner of the blog page before July. These email addresses will be retrieved, and you will be sent a notification directly from me when there is a new post available. These email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. You will receive the "new blog post" notifications from "the disciple". If you choose not to enter your email address, I recommend that after June 2021, check the blog regularly for new posts. Thank you for your patience and faithful readership. It is a constant struggle for us, or at least for me, on a day to day basis, to live in the understanding that God is in charge, and He is well qualified to be in charge. In the same way, we often forget what scripture says about Christ's rulership over all things including in His relationship with the church: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him, all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him (Christ) all the fullness should dwell...For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." (Col. 1:15-19, 2:9-10). Can there be any doubt from the above verses that Jesus is the Head, not only of the Church, but over all creation, even the spiritual principalities. Paul even warned us: "As you therefore have received Christ the Lord, so walk in Him...Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Col. 2:6-8). We have our beginning in salvation through the Lordship of Jesus Christ, but sometimes as we continue in our walk of faith, we lose the understanding of His Lordship in all things. The philosophies and traditions of the world systems, that can sound good to those who are about to fall to their temptation, begin to edge their way in to our thinking. In general, the philosophies of the world do not embrace either the Lordship of the Father, or of His Son, Jesus. I would like to look at two examples of this in the Sabbath reading for this week. In Numbers Chapters 16 and 17, four highly regarded men challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron. They took (laqah- take away, carry away, snatch, select, take possession of) 250 leaders, men of renown, from the congregation of Israel, and approached Moses and Aaron with the following complaint: "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? (Num. 16:3). Even though the rebels cloak their challenge in spiritual terms, their attitude is one we see in the world even today: "Who made you the boss?" or "You think you're better than everyone else." They accused Moses of acting like a prince over the people (v. 13). One of the rebels, Korah, was a Levite, and Moses addressed his answer to him: "Hear now, you sons of Levi: Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the taberncle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them, and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also?" (v. 8-10). Instead of seeing his important role in the tabernacle, the house of God's presence and glory, with which God had honored him as a Levite, Korah despised it as unimportant, and coveted someone else's position instead. Moses told Korah and his fellow rebels that they were "gathered together against the LORD", not against Moses and Aaron. Moses made clear, as he prophesies the judgment of God upon the rebels, that "the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will." (v. 28). We know from scripture how God called Moses, and that Moses did not seek nor want the position that God commanded him to take. Moses tried every argument to convince God to choose someone else, but finally and obediently acepted his role from God. Scripture also tells us that God, through His servant Moses, did many wonderful and miraculous works in order to deliver His people. Yet spiritually ambitious Israelites thought they should decide who would lead the people, rather than God. As the rebellion against Moses continued, the LORD threatened to consume the whole congregation in a moment, but Moses and Aaron, as true servants of God, fell on their faces and interceded for the congregation. The LORD relented and brought a judgment that had never been seen before against only the rebels, and those who chose to stand with them: the earth opened and swallowed them alive directly down into the pit (Num. 16:30-33). In truth, these rebels had not been challenging only Moses with their conspiracy, but they had challenged the LORDSHIP of God over Israel, and everything pertaining to them. In this week's haftarah reading portion from 1 Sam. 11 and 12, the prophet and judge of Israel, Samuel, admonished Israel for rejecting God as their LORD, when they chose to have a king to rule over them, instead of the man of God appointed by Him. God had placed Samuel over them as their judge, but the people of Israel yielded to the temptation of the philosophies and traditions of the world in their desire to be ruled as the other nations of the world were ruled: by a king. They put their deliverance from their enemies into the hands of that king (1 Sam. 12:11-12). Samuel warned the people that while they did get the king that they desired, they and their king, must fear the LORD and continue to serve Him, and obey the voice and commandments of the LORD, or it would not go well with them, as it did not with their fathers (v. 13-15). If they were to turn aside from the LORD, "then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing." (v. 21). As a sign of the LORDSHIP of their God, by the call of Samuel, the LORD sent rain on the day of the wheat harvest (v. 17-18). Because of the rain, the greatly anticipated yearly wheat harvest in Israel would yield far less in tonnage weight as the rain washed away a great deal of weight from the seed heads of the grain. After seeing this sign of rain sent on the harvest day, the people cried out to Samuel to pray for them: "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves." (v. 19). Responding to the people's request for his intercessory prayer on their behalf, Samuel showed the same reverence for the LORDSHIP of God as Moses did when he prayed on behalf of the people. Samuel said, "...as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way...For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people." (v. 22-23). Samuel understood and was led the covenant promise that the LORD had made with His people. The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Korach, which is the Hebrew name of the rebel, Korah. The Hebrew word means "bald". What does baldness have to do with Korah, or his rebellion? I think the title pertains to the way that Korah despised his spiritual "covering", which was Moses, Aaron, and therefore the Lordship of God Himself. He rebelliously sought to remove that covering. He became spiritually "bald" as a result, and it brought him to destruction. Most of us are familiar with the examples here of Moses, Aaron and Samuel, but this Sabbath reading carries a very timely message for today. In the same way that the LORD had set His servants over His people, He has also set, appointed, ordained servants over His Church to lead, teach, and equip the saints to "do the work of the ministry" (see above Num. 16:8-10), and to lead them out of slavery to sin, and into our Promised Land, which is found in the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13). In doing so, these appointed servants also help to keep the saints from being swayed by trickery, and every wind of deceitful plotting and doctrines (Eph. 4:14). This is especially important in these times when tumultuous events tempt us to be drawn to the empty philosophies and traditions of the world to solve our problems, and to defeat our enemies. How we view and treat those who have been ordained to be our spiritual covering by the Head of the Church, Christ, reflects what we really believe about His Lordship over us. Our Father doesn't want us to be Korach, or "bald". If you desire to place youself under the perfect All-In-All Lordship of Christ, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Head over all things, including the Church. I want You to be Lord over my life. As Lord, it is You who suffered and died for my sins, and rose from the dead, so I can have eternal life with You. By Your Holy Spirit, and Your commandments, teach me to understand and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for those whom You have appointed to cover me, to teach me, and to intercede before You on my behalf. I ask You these things in Your name, which is above all other names, AMEN."