Who's "In Charge?"

"They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them,'You have gone too far!'" Num. 16:3

Who's "In Charge"??
By Rev. William Dohle

It's fascinating how our "current events" shape how we read the text.

As I write this, we are now a week past the day when the Supreme Court ruled that marriage was legal in all states between two of the same gender or two of different genders. No one can withhold a marriage from same-gender couples. And with the license came the legal rights it guarantees.

The reactions to this decision have been all over the place. Some praise the decision and celebrate what has been done. Others aren't quite as happy about it. Some would say that the courts were right in their decision making and had the power to do so. Others would argue that the courts have no power to decide what the states and the people should and shouldn't do.

At the heart of this debate is one central question...

Who's in charge??

Who has the authority to make decisions on who gets married and who doesn't? Who decides what the definition of "marriage" is anyhow??

Who's in charge of all of this??

That question isn't a new one. In fact, it's as old as the human race.

The people of Israel faced that same question too when a man by the name of Korah and two others, Dathan and Abiram, stood up against Moses and Aaron.

"You have gone too far," they said. "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?"(16:3)

Do these arguments sound familiar? They should! They're at the heart of every single debate over lately. First comes the accusation: "You've gone too far..." Then the argument: "The whole community is holy, every one, and the Lord is with them!" And finally what they want, "Why then do you set yourselves above us?" In other words... step down!

Why would Korah say such things? Why start this rebellion to begin with? Googling Korah's name reveals that Korah "claimed that since he too was a great-grandson of Levi he too should be allowed to draft Law."

In other words... Korah thought HE should be in charge and not Moses and Aaron.

So what does Moses do? Well... "In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy and he will have that person to come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him."(16:5)

After going back and forth, God finally makes this right by swallowing up Korah, Korah's men, and all their possessions in the ground. They are known as the ones who go down to Sheol alive!

Where is the answer in all of this? How does this help us decide who is in-charge?

Well... we don't have a heavenly sign like Moses did. Contrary to what some say, doom will not come upon our country because of this decision, any more than it has come upon other countries because they legalized gay marriage either. We are more likely to be punished for our lack of concern for the environment than we are for who we allow to marry whom.

So...without some heavenly sign...how do we determine who is right? Some would say that God's law is clear...but clear on what? God's law itself is up for interpretation. The Jewish holy book, the Talmud is a great illustration on how many questions and answers can be given exploring God's law. Volumes upon volumes have been written in commentary to the words found in the first five books of the Bible. But no clear answers. God doesn't give clear black and white answers. He begins a conversation.

So we can't get our answers from heavenly signs or from the Law itself... where will they come from?

Maybe there's something to be redeemed in Korah's statement. Korah himself is half-right. He says, "The whole community of God is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them." That is correct! The whole community of God is holy, every one of them. God is with us! Korah is correct here.

Korah's rebellion against Moses is wrong, but he is right in his reasoning.

We too might say that we are originally holy, every one of us, because we are made in God's image. Even when we factor sin into the equation we are left with a picture of uniqueness. Every one of us is unique and special and different. Therefore, we should not put ourselves over and against another person. We have no right to dictate the lifestyle of another. We have a right to stand against injustice and violence. We have the right to rescue the oppressed and liberate the captive, but we have no right to decide how other human being peacefully lives his or her own life. That isn't in our power.

Korah rebelled against this. Korah wanted to be law-giver. Will we? Will we stand with Moses and Aaron and trust the decisions made by others chosen by our society? Or will we rebel in our hearts against them?

Maybe its not about looking for God's answer in the heavens or even in the books of the law. Maybe it's our choice. As it was Korah's. Will we choose life? Or will we be swallowed up by death itself? Will we use what has been given us, the gentle rule of love that permeates scripture and faith, or will we get sucked into the details and become law givers ourselves?

The choice is ours to make...

Almighty God, your Spirit is alive in our world, bringing life. We thank you for the work that others do on our behalf. Help us accept their decisions and continue to work for justice. Amen.