Monday 4th September
Read Numbers 16:1-11
“Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites – Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth – became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?’
4 When Moses heard this, he fell face down. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: ‘In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will make that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: take censers 7 and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!’ 8 Moses also said to Korah, ‘Now listen, you Levites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?’” (NIVUK)
The story of the rebellion of Korah is one of the more graphic, and literally seismic, stories in Numbers. Korah’s approach to leadership reflects an understanding that the tassels of blue woven into the hem of the robes of all the Israelites makes them equally holy (Numbers 15:37-41). In one sense it reflects a rather Baptist approach to leadership where every member is important and no-one is above anyone else! But it is portrayed as rebellion and presumption of the highest order. How much authority does a leader anointed by God really have?
The Catholic church certainly thought the rebellion of Korah had much to teach them. Botticelli was commissioned to paint the scene on the walls of the Sistine Chapel, in the room where the Electors decide on the next Pope. The scene adorns the header in this devotion. It served as a cautionary warning in two ways. First it served to tell them about the seriousness of the decision they were making. Second it served as a warning to those who would seek papal office to question their motives. Constantine’s Arch (in the background of the image) bears just such an inscription: “And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.” (Hebrews 5:4) (NIVUK)
Whether the Numbers story should be interpreted papally I will leave for you to decide. But the implications of being chosen and called by God are important indeed and we have much to learn. One thing Korah had right – we are all called to holiness.
