Blame

 Even though Moses had laid out two scenarios for the people, one which would confirm the Lord had sent him, the other which would prove that Korah was in the right, once the dust settled and the earth swallowed up Korah and his household, the people returned to Moses angry and bitter.

Numbers 16:41, “On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.’”

Even when God is clear and direct, and His power is manifest, people still see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. Was it Moses and Aaron who killed Korah and his followers? Were they still the people of the Lord even though by the manifestation of God’s power and their being swallowed up it was proven that they had rejected the Lord?

You read this verse, and your first inclination is to shake your head at the cognitive dissonance until you realize this is what the contemporary church has been doing for decades. God sends a messenger warning the nation of what He will do unless repentance is forthcoming; the messenger delivers the message, the nation does not repent, God keeps His word, and the people blame the messenger.

The people accused Moses and Aaron of murder, praising Korah as one who was of the Lord even though he clearly hadn’t been for some time. Why would they do such a thing? Because Korah stroked their egos and appealed to their vanity, and called them holy already, while Moses insisted they must repent and come before the Tabernacle to know the presence of God.

It’s hard to dislike someone saying nice things about you. It’s difficult to reject someone who is boosting your ego and seeing you as someone different than what you know yourself to be. Even though they’re lying, and you suspect they know you know they’re lying, it feels too good for you to seek out the truth of it.

The people weren’t playing. They weren’t joking around, and they weren’t just voicing an objection. It got bad enough that God had to intervene. Otherwise, the angry crowd would likely have torn Moses and Aaron apart. These were the same people that saw the earth open up and swallow Korah and his followers whole, but somehow that neither bothered nor deterred them.

Could you imagine being present and watching Moses say that if the earth opens and swallows them up, then you know who’s in the right, then seeing the earth swallow Korah up, and the next day come against Moses accusing him of murder?

Some believers have a difficult time with the notion that they will be betrayed by those closest to them because they are followers of Christ. Is it any more difficult to fathom than an entire people coming against Moses after seeing the earth open up and swallow many people?

Numbers 16:42-44, “Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment.”

You never blame the guy that co-signed for your sin. You never blame the individual that turned a blind eye and refused to preach the whole counsel of God because it allowed you leeway and wiggle room to feed your flesh and follow after its desires.

For a season, the symbiotic relationship works. You give them money and make them famous, and in return, they tell you to love yourself just the way you are. However, the closer you get to the finality of your life on earth, the louder the whispers of judgment on that great day become. It’s unavoidable, and there’s nothing you nor I can do about it. Every man, every woman, and every created thing into which God breathed life will stand before Him, including the angels reserved in everlasting chains under darkness.

Blaming others for your choices will not be an option on that day. You are standing before an all-knowing God who doesn’t accept feelings as an acceptable justification for disobedience. There’s no option to call a friend to vouch for how nice a person you are, and those wolves and deceivers who were happy to take your money while you were drowning in sin will be nowhere in sight. They will have their own judgment to contend with, and since it is better to tie a millstone around one’s neck and go for a morning swim than cause a little one to stumble, they’ll be in no mood to be a character witness.

The season is soon approaching when the modern-day church will have an inverse reaction to what will befall the world. They won’t blame the men that lied to them, that promised them an easy ride and a carefree life in exchange for some coin. They’ll blame God for not bending to the word and will of those who deceived them. They’ll shake their fists at the heavens and be overcome with hate even though God had been patient, and kind, and gracious, warning for many a year that darkness will descend and oil in one’s lamp wasn’t an option; it was a necessity.

What must God do to get our attention? What must occur for us to humble ourselves enough to admit that we don’t know it all and that His way is always best? Israel saw the earth open up and swallow Korah whole, and the next day they were back to their old ways as though nothing had happened. Another fourteen thousand seven hundred souls had to perish before they got the message that God wasn’t playing games.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.