“Woe to them! For they have gone the [defiant] way of Cain, and for profit they have run headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of [mutinous] Korah.” (Jude 11 AMP)
The spirit of Korah is a spirit of jealousy and rebellion. Korah sought, with others, to overthrow Moses and Aaron. Korah felt he was more qualified than Moses and that he should be leading Israel. I would love to say that this was a one time event in the history of mankind, but I have seen it over and over again in the day we live in as well. People, influenced by the spirit of Korah, become jealous of who God is using, and rise up in rebellion against the man of God in an attempt to overthrow his authority.
Just exactly what did Korah do, though? Let’s look at the story in Numbers 16:
“Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, 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 a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?’ When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, and he said to Korah and all his company, ‘In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him. Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company; put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!” (vv. 1-7 ESV)
“Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, ‘We will not come up. Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?’ And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, ‘Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.’” (vv. 12-15 ESV)
“And Moses said, ‘Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.’ And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, ‘Lest the earth swallow us up!’ And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.” (vv. 28-35 ESV)
Korah, along with Dathan and Abiram, and On the son of Peleth, not only were in rebellion against God’s anointed man, they also convinced two hundred and fifty Israelite leaders to join their rebellious overthrow of Moses and Aaron. When he confronted Moses, Korah said, “We are here because we believe you are taking on too much power for one man. You and your priests act as though you are holier than any of the rest of us. If we are God's chosen people, then ALL of us are holy. That means that all of us have equal rights in matters of government.”
Moses was shocked by this blunt demand from Korah. Without even going back into the privacy of his tent, Moses knelt forward with his head to the ground and asked God for help. A few of those assembled became uncomfortable as they stood in the presence of a humble man calling on his Creator for aid. Other onlookers merely smiled at what they considered an attempt by Moses to gain their sympathy by appearing pitifully pious.
The next day, when confronted one last time with the chance to repent, Korah and his rebellious followers, discovered real fast what happens when you rebel against God. All of a sudden, the earth opened up. Tons of soil and rock slipped off the vertical sides of this horrifying hole and thundered down into dark oblivion, taking people, tents, animals and everything that belonged to Korah, Dathan and Abiram.
The lesson is clear for us today. We should be immersed into the Word of God and life in the Holy Spirit. We should never allow any type of a spirit of rebellion to creep into our minds. We should never seek to unseat those over us in the church because of envy, jealousy, pride or the desire for power and position. We should never allow anyone to gossip, murmur against nor tear down anyone in leadership. Korah was not just rebelling against Moses and Aaron but against God.
Do not be fooled–God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He did not put up with the spirit of Korah (rebellion) operating in Moses’ day and He will not today as well. The fire of God will show who is the true God. Remember, Psalm 105:15 says, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” 1 Samuel 15:23 lays it out clear for us; “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.”