One of my favorite movie quotes is from the 1953 film, The Wild One starring the great Marlon Brando. The ever suave Brando in this performance launched “the Fonze” craze of long sideburns, black leather jackets and of course motorcycles. In the famous line delivering scene, Brando is leaning against a dance hall piano, tapping along with the rhythm as others are dancing around him. One of the young girls asks him, “what are you rebelling against Johnny?” And as the camera pans in on the classic indifferent face of Brando, he utters, “whaddya got?”
What exactly are we rebelling against? We rebel against our parents and we rebel against our teachers. We rebel against societal norms and we rebel against establishment. We rebel against our nation and we rebel against our laws. We even see many today rebelling against their own sexual makeup. We just love to rebel. But in all of this rebellion do we even know exactly the root of our rebellion or are we, like Brando, simply in rebellion to whatever is in front of us? If we’re honest, it’s much the latter.
Today in Numbers 16 we see a major rebellion in the ranks of the Israelites. By now God has declared absolute order. He has created 13 clearly divided tribes. He has structured a very clear way for them to serve, camp, worship, offer sacrifices and gather food. He has created a well-orchestrated structure of priests that will run the tabernacle and process the hundreds of sin offerings a day. And He has of course placed leadership in authority to see it all done just as He commands. His two leaders are Moses and his older brother, Aaron. God’s men that listen to God and then simply do just what God commands them. In fact, that’s a great side note. Have you ever noticed how simple walking with God can be if you just simply do exactly what He tells you to do?
But even in this super simple God given setup, trouble ensues. 250 leaders from among the tribes rise up, led by Korah, a very prominent member of the Levite tribe, the very tribe that has been empowered to be the priests of the Tabernacle, the resting place of God among the Israelites. You see, they’re not happy. Isn’t that the way rebellion always starts? A few people that are just plain unhappy with life. And why? Well, they’re not getting what they want. Rebellion is thoroughly based in the root of all sin, pride. I want what I want, and I want it when I want it. Korah and his men are unhappy with the leadership of the nation, Moses and Aaron. And surprise, in their unhappiness they think they can do better. Wow, are we reading about 3000 BC or 2020 AD?
Korah assembles his 250 unhappy protestors and they confront Moses and Aaron. An angry mob of 250 approaching 2 men of God. Moses calls them out and suggests a very simple solution. Let’s let God sort out this mess. (something you'd be hard pressed to hear today!) All men are instructed to present their personal scepters with incense before God and agree to let God make the decision. Folks, what ensues is unfortunate for those that rebel against God and His leadership. The leaders and their families are swallowed up by the Lord, the earth splits open, swallows them up and then closes. You see Korah and his leaders were looking to divide the people and in God’s judgement He divided them from among the nation. You see God judges our sins according to what our sins are.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Gal 6:7
After this amazing judgement God consumes the remainder of the 250 rebels with fire. But what is amazing to me is not simply this initial rebellion but what follows. You’d think that after the people had seen God’s powerful hand act against the troublemakers, that they’d simmer down. Not so, a rebellious heart does what it knows, it rebels against life. Another huge group assembles the next day against Moses and Aaron and accuses them of prompting God to destroy the rebels and crush the movement. Rebellious hearts look to maintain rebellious movements. You just thought that mobs and protests were a modern thing right?
God quickly moves to settle this “aftershock” protest and inflicts a plague upon the unruly mob. But in a powerful scene, Moses and Aaron move quickly to appease God’s wrath with an atonement for the sin of the rebels. But by the time Aaron could move amongst the people, 14,700 rebels were already dead. There stood Aaron in the middle of this sea of protestors, dead bodies on one side and the living on the other. A powerful picture of the atonement of Jesus Christ. An intercessor for us that divides the living from the dead. A Savior that atones for our sins and rebellion against God and protects us from the death our rebellion earns us. What a beautiful picture of the power of Jesus Christ.
As we study the rebellion of Korah, you must ask yourself, what are you rebelling against? Are you not getting what you want. Are you not getting what you think you deserve? Are you simply unhappy with the cards you were dealt and you’re gonna make it right? Do you disagree with your leaders and the laws they’ve given you? Do you think you can do better? All symptoms of the disease we have in our sin nature, but none strike at the core resolution. You see, no matter what you’re rebelling against, it’s rooted deeply in one direction. God.
No matter what you like, think or prefer, God is in control. The leaders, laws and lay of our world is all completed and carefully orchestrated at His behest. His hands created this world and He will continue to see it ran His way until Jesus returns and well beyond.
Folks, if your rebelling against something today, you’re really rebelling against God, pure and simple. Take your rebellion to God. Get still, get quiet and talk to God about your feelings. Simply talk to God and tell Him how you feel and He will start a work in your heart. You see, rebellious hearts are nothing new to God. He saw them in Korah and his rebels and He still sees them today. But God and God alone can cure a rebellious heart. The love of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God can permeate even the most calloused hearts and soften them up like a big clump of fresh Play-Doh. You see, when you get your heart right with God, you won’t be rebelling against the world, you’ll be trying to save it.
Rebellious hearts are being judged today and they don’t have to be. They need Jesus to atone for them so that they can truly live. Not only today but for eternity.
Go today. Go therefore into all the world and tell the world about the saving power of Jesus Christ.
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