Issues With Authority

Numbers 16:1-3 “Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and 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 certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

The leadership of Moses was continually under attack and question.  His own sister and brother criticised him and questioned why he was in charge.  Then Korah and several others recruited 250 well-known men of Israel to rise up against the leadership of Moses and Aaron.

God put down both rebellions and showed them that they were wrong, but these instances shed light on a larger problem.  Every person, who descends from the first rebel, Adam, has had issues with authority.  It is our nature to want to rebel and to want to do our own thing.

Authority, whether it be in the form of a husband, a parent, a teacher, an employer, the taxman, or a pastor is not something that we naturally like.  We dislike anyone telling us what to do or being accountable to anyone.  We want to be exactly as Satan described it to Eve, “as gods, knowing good and evil.”  We want to be masters of our own universe deciding what is right and wrong for ourselves.

Though none of us like authority or love the thought of submission, we must remember that authority ultimately stems from God, the final authority, and to rebel against any authority in our lives is to rebel against God.  This rebellion will not be tolerated for ever and those who continue to rebel, will, like Korah and his followers, face dire consequences.

What issues do you have with authority?  Why do you think we find it so hard to submit?  Our submission to God will manifest itself in our submission to the authority in our lives.

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