#4
(THE "DIFFICULTIES ON THE JOURNEY" SERIES)
"DIFFICULTIES
WITH THE LEADERS"
TEXT: Numbers
16:1-17:13
INTRO:
One of the missing needs today in our
world is good leadership! What
makes a good leader? Good
leadership or its lack can make the difference between a strong country or a
weak one, a strong family or a weak one, a strong organization or a weak one, a strong Church or a weak one ...
etc.
ILLUS: HARRY
TRUMAN ONCE COMMENTED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF POLLS TO LEADERSHIP, WITH THE
FOLLOWING INSIGHTS: “I WONDER HOW FAR MOSES WOULD HAVE GONE IF
HE'D TAKEN A POLL IN EGYPT? WHAT
WOULD JESUS CHRIST HAVE PREACHED IF HE'D TAKEN A POLL IN ISRAEL? WHERE WOULD THE REFORMATION HAVE GONE IF
MARTIN LUTHER HAD TAKEN A POLL? IT
ISN'T THE POLLS OR PUBLIC OPINION OF THE MOMENT THAT COUNTS. IT IS RIGHT AND WRONG AND LEADERSHIP,
MEN WITH FORTITUDE, HONESTY, AND A BELIEF IN THE RIGHT, THAT MAKES EPOCHS IN THE
HISTORY OF THE WORLD.” – Source Unknown
Any one who leads will face the reality
that there will always be people that don't like your leadership, that some will
always feel they can lead better than you. Leadership must be based on principles, not on
popularity!
PROP.
SENT: Godly leadership is more than abilities
... it is also attitude!
Godly leadership sticks to the Word of God rather than trying to please
people ... but with a heart toward people to encourage them to follow the
Word! It does not give up easily on
people though even when they are rebellious for it seeks their best!
I. PRIESTHOOD OR PRESTIGE? 16:1-40
A. Narcissistic
Reaction 16:1-3
1.
Korah was one of the highest leaders in Israel, just under the High
Priest himself!
a. His family was in charge of the
most sacred objects, like the Ark of the Covenant!
b. He had greater rank and privileges
than almost all other Levites!
2.
Korah however wasn't satisfied with the rank of service he had been
entrusted, he wanted more prestige and honor!
a. His goal was not to be a better
servant but to be more recognized in the body of God's
people!
b. Notice the attack he uses on the
present leaders over him, he accuses them of claiming they are the only
spiritually astute leaders, though they had never made this
claim!
3.
It is an old attack ... “the whole community is holy, every one of them. Why do you
set yourself above the Lord's assembly?”
a. Moses and Aaron had never done this
or said this!
b. This was evidence of Korah's
jealousy!
c. Korah's concern sounds very
spiritual but in reality it revealed the hidden envy in his own heart, packaged
in a very spiritual sounding concern!
4.
With 250 other choice leaders Moses could not ignore this challenge to
the leadership of Israel, it must be dealt with or chaos would
rule!
a. Pride is a bad disease, and the
worst type of pride is spiritual pride!
b. This is what proverbs call “the beginning of
a fall!”
ILLUS: THERE'S AN
OLD FABLE ABOUT TWO DUCKS AND A FROG THAT WERE GOOD FRIENDS, THE FROG TENDED TO
BE QUITE A BRAGGART. THEY SPENT A
GREAT DEAL OF TIME TOGETHER AS FRIENDS AT A POND, UNTIL ONE DAY THE POND WAS
ABOUT TO DRY UP. THE DUCKS SHARED
THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO FLY AWAY FOR A NEW PLACE. NOT WANTING THEIR BRAGGING FRIEND TO DRY
UP THEY CAME UP WITH AN IDEA TO TAKE HIM ALONG. THE TWO DUCKS WOULD HOLD A STICK BETWEEN
THEM AND THE FROG WOULD WRAP HIS LONG TONGUE AROUND THE STICK IN THE MIDDLE OF
THEM TO HOLD ONTO WHILE THE DUCKS FLEW THE 3 OF THEM TO ANOTHER POND. ALL WENT WELL UNTIL THEY WERE FLYING
OVER THE FARMER, AS THE AMAZED FARMER SAW THEM HE EXCLAIMED, “HOW CLEVER! ... I WONDER WHO THOUGHT OF
IT!” IMMEDIATELY THE ARROGANT
FROG OPENED HIS MOUTH AND BRAGGED, “I
DID!”... AND OF COURSE FELL TO HIS DEATH! – Source
Unknown
c. Pride is a very destructive
quality, not suited for leadership!
B. Necessary
Response 16:4-17
1.
Moses immediately falls on his face, a sign of humility; how unlike Korah
he is!
2.
Moses correctly understands that this challenge is not really against
him, it is against God's plan. God
had chosen Moses to lead, not Korah!
a. Moses therefore calls for a fair
test, a test that would let God make the choice clear!
b. Moses tells them to make the
attempt to be priests, to take the holy censers and take fire from the altar of
God and act as priests ... IF God lets them be priests and approaches
them with favor then fine!
c. If their ministry is accepted it
will be clear in a very short time, the last time a couple of guys took fire in
censers with the wrong attitude God struck them dead!! They were Aaron's two
sons!
3.
Moses attempts to appeal to their present call, to get them to accept the
service God had first called them to already, to serve the tabernacle
furnishings!
a. He asks them why they are not happy
with what God had already asked of them to do.
b. If they can't serve in these
smaller areas why should they be allowed to serve in bigger
ways?
c. Their response indicates an unhappy
heart! They weren't
satisfied!
4.
They try for crowd sympathy by claiming that Moses will attempt to hurt
them!
a. They claim that Moses will attempt
to gouge out their eyes if they come to him! 16:14b
b. They also accuse Moses of taking
them from “a promise land” --
EGYPT! Since when was Egypt “a promise land?” … it was a land of
slavery!
c. It was the common practice of the
time that if you were the leader and others challenged you that you might round
them up and gouge out their eyes to humiliate them and put them in their place
... this was the way secular leadership worked; and they attempt to use this
fear tactic to get the people to question Moses' leadership! (Remember Samson had this done to
him by the king who had captured him in order to humiliate
him)
5.
Moses would have to stand tall and not back down to this kind of
challenge, but yet not resort to worldly methods of defending himself either, he
would let God defend him! He just
had to stand tall and be unmovable!
ILLUS: GENERAL
JACKSON FEARED GOD, AND NOTHING ELSE! WHEN THE CONFEDERATES WERE FALLING BACK
AT BULL RUN GENERAL LEE RALLIED HIS MEN BY CALLING OUT, “LOOK TO JACKSON! HE STANDS LIKE A STONE WALL!” THIS MADE
C. No
Repentance!
16:18-40
1.
Moses could honestly say he had not wronged these men ever, or taken
advantage of them in any way! 16:15
a. They are given their way; they
stand like priests at the entrance to the Tabernacle with Moses and Aaron ...
like equals.
b. The glory of the Lord comes down
and God speaks: “separate yourselves Moses and Aaron from these others so I
can put an end to them at once!”
2.
Any ungodly leader would have shouted “amen” at this, but Moses and Aaron fall
down on their faces before God and plead for the Lord to only punish the guilty
person, not all the others!
a. Moses then appeals to all Israel to
separate themselves from these rebels, to stand clear. God's judgment will only fall on the
unrepentant hearts!
b. Moses then states that if these men
live a normal lifespan it would be proof they are right and he is wrong, God
will judge!
3.
Fortunately, most of Israel at this point backed away from their support
of these jealous false leaders, and soon the ground opened up and swallowed the
leaders and their family members alive!
a. It is interesting to note however,
that there were some sons of Korah that are listed in 26:11 as serving Israel later, thus some of his own
sons did not side with their own father and must have escaped being destroyed
here!
b. The guilty are swallowed up
alive!
4.
There is still the issue of the 250 men who had the holy fire in holy
censers that were Korah's followers and had been leaders in Israel. Now God
deals with them also. Fire from God
comes and destroys them where they stand!
a. Holy fire in the hands of unholy men is
dangerous!
b. God's fire destroys these
unrepentant proud men!
c. As a future reminder of the
lessons of real leadership God instructs Moses to collect the bronze censers now
in the hands of the charred remains of these false leaders and have the bronze
beaten into sheets to overlay the altar of God!
d. The censers themselves were sacred
objects and so must be put to sacred use still!
e. It would serve as a constant
reminder of the price of ungodly leadership!
5.
Only those chosen by God and not by popularity should serve! And, service must be with a clean
heart!
II. PERSONAL OR PASTORAL 16:41-50
A. No
Rest!
16:41-45
1.
You would think the lessons of misguided leadership would have sunk in,
yet the very next day with all the ungodly leadership gone the people began to
grumble against Moses and Aaron again!
a. They blame Moses and Aaron for
killing all the rebellious leaders!
b. They fail to see that the leaders
got only what their own sins dictated!
2.
This still happens today, the Pastor will preach on the consequences of
sin, and yet when someone chooses to disobey God's Word they come back with, “nobody at the Church cared, or helped
me...” with the implication that if the Church or pastor had only done
something different they wouldn't have had to sin or they could have avoided the
consequences.
a. We need an old fashion sense of
accepting responsibility for our own actions!
b. Repentance is accepting the
responsibility for sins committed, not blaming others!
3.
Moses' leadership is again being tested!
a. However, Moses' heart is revealed;
for as they grumble God instructs Moses to stand aside and He will destroy these
wicked people like the wicked leaders … but Moses falls on his face before
God to plead with the Lord to save these people!
b. This was the heart of a
Pastor! If it was popularity he
was after he would have cried out, “Fry them good God! We’ll show them who is in
charge!”
c. But Moses wasn't seeking popularity
or revenge, he was seeking to lead these people into a walk with God by
faith!
d. Thus he would have to put aside his
personal feelings for the moment and pray for them!
4.
Godly leadership seeks to save, not
destroy!
B. Nurturing
Response 16:46-50
1.
As the presence of a holy God came into the camp, a camp full of
wickedness and rebellion, it was sure to elicit judgment from God; and sure
enough a plague breaks out among the people!
a. Time was of the essence. While God may withhold judgment for a
time, unrepentant sin will bring judgment at some
point!
b. The penalty of sin is death, and so
the people begin to perish!
2.
Moses and Aaron's response is to quickly find a way to save the people,
just as Jesus had done for us who were perishing in our
sins!
a. Aaron is to grab a holy censer
filled with God's fire and run into the midst of the
camp.
b. The incense was both a sacrifice
and the symbol of prayers arising to God!
c. They took the role of
intercessor.
3.
They respond with the true heart of shepherds, “he stood between
the living and the dead...” and the plague began to
stop!
a. This is the role of a true priest,
to stand between the living and the dead!
b. Since we are in the age of the
priesthood of all believers this is our call too!
c. Are we more concerned about our own
comfort than we are those who are dieing in their sins, are we willing to stand
in the gap between the living and the dead!?
4.
While the leadership of Korah and his friends had brought disaster upon
Israel, the leadership of Moses and Aaron had brought life and
healing!
5.
They may not have always appreciated the leadership of Moses and Aaron
all the time but these were God's chosen vessels and their hearts were right
before God!
a. The results of Korah's ministry
were obvious!
b. The results of Moses' and Aaron's were
too!
6.
Korah sought to dominate God's people, Moses & Aaron sought to
deliver Israel!
ILLUS: IN 1857 AT THE
OUTBREAK OF THE SEPOY REBELLION IN INDIA, THE HINDUS ATTEMPTED TO SLAUGHTER AS
MANY ENGLISHMEN AS THEY COULD, ESPECIALLY OFFICERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. ONE OFFICER AND HIS WIFE HAD GONE TO A
NEIGHBORING TOWN NOT KNOWING ABOUT THIS DANGER AND HAD LEFT THEIR LITTLE
DAUGHTER AT HOME IN THE CARE OF A NATIVE NURSE THAT SHE LOVED SO MUCH. THEIR DAUGHTER ELLEN WAS IN MORTAL
DANGER HOWEVER AS THE RAIDS BEGAN.
ONE OF THE FAMILY FRIENDS, A SOLDIER REALIZING THE DANGER RODE ON
HORSEBACK TO THE HOUSE AND SNATCHED UP THE LITTLE GIRL FROM THE NATIVE NURSE SHE
LOVED AND QUICKLY RODE OUT TO SAFETY.
ELLEN WAS ANGRY FOR BEING TAKEN FROM THE NURSE SHE LOVED, NOT KNOWING OF
THE DANGER. SHE KICKED HER RESCUER
AND SCREAMED AS HE HELD ON TO HER AT FULL GALLOP. SHE DID NOT LIKE THE BUMPY RIDE AT ALL
AS HE SQUEEZED SO HARD TO HANG ON TO HER.
BY NOW, ANGRY MOBS FILLED THE STREETS HE WAS RIDING DOWN, AND AS THEY
REALIZED HE WAS AN ENGLISHMEN WITH AN ENGLISH GIRL THEY MOBBED HIS HORSE TO KILL
THEM BOTH! THE MAN DREW HIS SABER
AND FOUGHT HARD TO SAVE HIMSELF AND THE GIRL. THIS MEANT SLINGING HER AROUND HIM TO
KEEP THE ENEMY FROM ANY JABS AT HER WHILE AT THE SAME TINE FIGHTING WITH ONLY
ONE HAND! THE LITTLE GIRL WAS
FRIGHTENED AND STRUGGLED AGAINST HIM, BUT HE HELD ON AND FINALLY MADE IT TO
SAFETY. THE PARENTS WERE SO
GRATEFUL, HOWEVER THE LITTLE GIRL FELT DEEP RESENTMENT TOWARD HER RESCUER. HE HAD TREATED HER SO ROUGHLY, HE HAD
SHAKEN HER SO MUCH AS THEY RODE, HE TOOK HER FROM THE NURSE SHE LOVED, HOW COULD
SUCH A RUDE MAN BE CONSIDERED A FRIEND!? SHE COULD NOT BE COAXED INTO GIVING THE
MAN A KISS OR A THANK YOU! AS SHE
GREW UP SHE BEGAN TO REALIZE WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND HOW UNGRATEFUL SHE HAD
TREATED HIM. HOW EMBARRASSED SHE
FELT LATER ON!
– Source
Unknown
III. POSITION OF PRIESTHOOD 17:1-13
A. Neutralizing Rebellion
17:1-5
1.
God wished to stop the continued grumbling of the Israelites against His
chosen leaders, so He designed a final test of
leadership!
a. It is not easy to save those who
constantly struggle against authority!!!
b. Sometimes the only way to save
someone is when they stop struggling!
ILLUS: OFTEN WHEN
SAVING SOMEONE FROM DROWNING THE RESCUER WILL NOT JUMP INTO THE WATER TO SAVE
THE PERSON UNTIL THEY GO UNCONSCIOUS IN THEIR STRUGGLE! IF THEY JUMP IN WHILE THE PERSON IS
THRASHING ABOUT WILDLY, BOTH THE VICTIM AND THE RESCUER COULD DROWN; S0 THEY
WAIT UNTIL THE DROWNING VICTIM IS EXHAUSTED OR UNCONSCIOUS AND THEN RESCUE THEM
WITHOUT THE STRUGGLE! THE SOONER WE
QUIT STRUGGLING, THE SOONER WE CAN BE RESCUED TOO! – Source
Unknown
2.
Before another bout of grumbling starts up, the issue of leadership will
be decided!
a. The test was simple and fair: each
tribe was to bring a staff and one man’s name was to be inscribed on it from
that tribe as a potential leader.
b. The 12 staffs would be put in the
tabernacle that night by the Ark of God and the one staff that buds by morning
will be God's choice for High Priest.
3.
This was done; Aaron's name went on Levi's
staff.
a. The next morning would end the
question of leadership, who will God chose to lead them through the wilderness
as High Priest?
b. This would not be Moses' choice, it
would be God's!
4.
This whole test was designed to bring some stability to the people of God
as they encountered difficulties through their travels, someone has to lead and
it needs to be the leader chosen by God!
B. Noticeable Recognition! 17:6-13
1.
The next morning the staffs were checked and sure enough only one staff
had results on it, it was Aaron's staff!
a. Not only had Aaron's staff budded,
it had fresh leaves on it, blossoms, and even fully ripe fruit on it! Almonds!
b. Almonds were considered a rare and
priceless treasure according to Gen. 43:11 …
Almond blossoms were pure white, a symbol of purity.
c. Aaron had obvious fruit on his
staff, all the others were barren!
2.
A New Testament concept of leadership emerges here: Those who are called
to lead must have obvious fruit visible, and it should be
pure!!
a. Not only was there ripe fruit but
there were blossoms too, fruit in the making – thus all stages of fruit
making!
b. There were healthy signs like
leaves that were fresh!
c. Leadership is a role reserved for
those who have proven themselves fruitful, with mature fruit; and evidence of
continual growth in their lives and a healthy life.
d. Even in the Assemblies of God you
cannot be ordained as a Pastor until you have been licensed for at least 2
years, these 2 years are looked at to see if you have fruit in your life and
ministry before you can be ordained.
e. This concept mirrors Paul's
commands about leadership in the Church, being reserved for men who are not
novices or new to the faith, mature, and with track records of fruitfulness … “reliable
men.”
3.
The point God made is simple and direct, the man with obvious fruit is
called to lead! All the others
whose staffs were barren were not ready for leadership of this nature; they
needed to learn to serve in smaller ways first!
4.
As a constant reminder that these qualities are timeless for leaders,
Moses is instructed by God to put Aaron's staff in the Ark of the Covenant with
the manna so that it would be a permanent reminder of God's expectations and
choice of leaders!
a. The test ended, and since this was
the time of the law the people become afraid of God. S0 many had died already in their
stubbornness that they assume the worst is about to happen to them
now!
b. They however would not die, unless
they continued to rebel!
5.
Now some semblance of order begins to take shape for the nation and they
move on!
CONCLUSION:
Godly leadership is more
a function of attitude than it is ability! It is not for personal recognition, but
personal responsibilities. The call
of leadership is to serve; first by example and second by obedience to God's
Word. The role of Godly leaders is
to “stand
between the living and the dead” (16:14), to serve the best interests of the people
and not the interest of self! Good
proven followers make good powerful
leaders!