14 February | EVERYONE
«Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. » Numbers 16: 31,32
The earth opened its huge mouth mercilessly as a roar drove away the animals from the desert and shook the people. It was instantaneous. On the other hand, rebellion had been cherished for a long time. Disgruntled people, ambitious leaders. They used God’s name to hide their dark aspirations. Many in Israel may have believed in their words, arguments, and reasoning, but God knows the heart. We can pretend and somehow win the sympathy of human beings, but God cannot be deceived.
And He was not. Moses invoked God, asking for His intervention, and suddenly the earth opened. The birds flew away in fright. Vultures as dark as the night flew over the camp. People ran desperately back and forth, but the destruction was only for the rebels. Famous princes fell on that day. From dust they came and to dust they returned.
In Israel, the system of government was theocracy. The Lord governed the people through the leaders whom He, in His infinite wisdom, chose. In a sense, to revolt against them was to rebel against God Himself. That is why, on that fateful day, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their selfish ambitions were buried.
God gave every human being the right to express his or her ideas. Unity was never uniformity. But, just as freedom of speech is an inalienable right, order is a heavenly principle that governs the kingdom of God. Democracy cannot degenerate into anarchy.
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Thank God today for the freedom you enjoy. Know Him and you will understand that His love wants to protect you in any circumstance instead of leaving you to your fate or to the mercy of the destroyer of souls.