Ⅲ
Chapters 12 and 16 of Numbers speak of rebellion against God's delegated authority:
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In speaking against Moses, Miriam and Aaron were speaking against the deputy authority of God—12:1-15:
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God had appointed Moses to be His deputy authority, His representative authority on earth; the authority that Moses represented was the authority of God—Exo. 3:10-18a; 7:1.
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According to God's governmental administration, Miriam and Aaron should have submitted themselves to Moses, but they rebelled—Num. 12:1-2.
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Neither Aaron nor Miriam knew authority; instead, they fostered a rebellious heart—vv. 1-2.
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The words of rebellion ascended upward and were heard by God—v. 2b:
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When Miriam and Aaron offended Moses, they offended God in Moses; therefore, God became angry.
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Once a person touches delegated authority, he touches God in that delegated authority.
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To offend the delegated authority is to offend God—vv. 4-10.
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Miriam's becoming leprous was God's governmental dealing—v. 10.
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The rebellion recorded in chapter 16 was a corporate rebellion:
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The rebellion in this chapter was a widespread, universal rebellion among God's people—v. 19a.
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Numbers 16:3, 9, and 10 show that the root of this rebellion was ambition, the struggle for power and for a higher position:
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Ambition undermines God's plan and damages His people.
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Throughout the centuries many problems among Christians have been caused by ambition—cf. Matt. 20:20-28; 3 John 9-11.
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Although Moses was humble in falling on his face (Num. 16:4), he did not give up his God-given position as God's deputy authority (vv. 3-11, 16-18):
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Moses did not fight back; rather, he brought the rebels and the ones against whom they rebelled to God—v. 5.
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As God's deputy, or delegated, authority, Moses referred this case to God as the highest authority, for His speaking, exposing, and judging—vv. 6-35.
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In a struggle for power, the only One who can judge and expose the real situation is God Himself—vv. 30-33.
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The murmuring of the people against Moses and Aaron proves that their rebellious nature had not been subdued—v. 41.
Morning Nourishment
Num. 16:5 …In the morning Jehovah will make known who is His and who is holy;…the one whom He will choose He will bring near to Himself.Matt. 20:25-27 …The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave.
Ambition for position and power is always a problem to God's people. Ambition is a”gopher” that undermines God's plan and damages His people. When I was with Watchman Nee on the mainland of China, I saw him attacked a number of times. He never did anything or said anything to vindicate himself, and he never complained against others. As he told me, because he was the target, it was difficult for him to say anything concerning himself without vindicating, and it was difficult to say anything about others without condemning. So the best way, he said, was not to say anything. (Life-study of Numbers, p. 172)
Today's Reading
The ambition for power and the struggle for power are in our blood. This ambition and struggle can be found not only among males but also among females. The rebellion of Miriam and Aaron against Moses proves this. I believe that this rebellion was instigated by Miriam….We all need to be careful to guard against the”gopher” of ambition within us.The first generation of Christ's followers was troubled by the struggle for power. At a very crucial time, when the Lord Jesus was going to Jerusalem to be crucified, He told His followers what would happen to Him (Matt. 20:17-19). They heard Him, but they neither listened to what He said nor cared about it. While He was telling them about His death, they were struggling for power. The mother of James and John (Jesus' aunt) even brought her two sons to the Lord, begging Him to put one on His right and one on His left in the kingdom (Matt. 20:20-28). The other disciples were indignant toward these two brothers. This indicates that there was a power struggle among the disciples.
If you read through the Acts and the Epistles, you will see that this struggle for power was there from the beginning of the church life. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-4) were a couple who lied to God. Actually, their lying was a struggle for power. They wanted to be more important, to elevate themselves in the eyes of others. At the end of the Epistles, John mentioned one who was struggling for power, Diotrephes (3 John 9-11). The history of Christianity is a history of the struggle for power. This struggle is within each one of us. You may not realize it, but it is hidden inside you. Eventually, the church life will be a test to our real situation. As long as we are in the church life, sooner or later we will be tested and exposed.
Consider the rebels among the children of Israel in Numbers. Some rebels were on the border of the camp, some were with the mixed multitude, and some were very close to Moses, the leading one. Now, in Numbers 16, two hundred fifty leaders rebelled. In view of all this, we must believe that the struggle for power was in every one of the sons of Israel.
In chapter 16, Moses was bold and faithful in confronting a large-scale rebellion, a rebellion of two hundred fifty leaders. Although he fell on his face, he still did something. He brought this matter openly to God, to let God come in to speak, to judge, and to vindicate.
In such a rebellious situation, it is better not to do anything. The Lord is still living. He is still on the throne and is still sovereign. He is the sovereign Lord and the highest authority. He is the Head of the Body today. Thus, we must always refer these things to Him and let Him be what He is. This is all we can do, and this is what we must do. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 172-174)
Further Reading: Life-study of Numbers, msgs. 19, 23-24; CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” chs. 21-22