If My People Part 1- Paying Attention

by Keith Gardner

In Numbers 16 we read of the story of rebellion. Korah and Dathan convinced 250 leaders of the Israelites that Moses had no intentions in keeping his promise to take them to a promised land. Instead he intended to lord over the Israelites and to lead them to their deaths in the desert. God answered their rebellion by opening up the earth and swallowing up Korah, Dathan and their families. Then the 250 were consumed by fire. What lessons would we have learned if we saw such an event? Would we have questioned Moses and his intentions? Would we have second guessed his leadership or his motivations?

The next morning the people of Israel began to grumble against Moses. God’s action was swift. He intended to destroy everyone and to begin to create a new chosen people through Moses. Because of Moses’ interceding and Aaron’s atonement for them, God relented.

One would think that the Israelites would have learned the lessons of the previous day. It is too far fetched to reason that if one sees the complainers and accusers destroyed right before ones eyes that they would not be found complaining and accusing the next day. How is it that they did not learn the lessons of the moment?

But really now, are we any different? Is God telling us something? Nearly three-thousand die in the falling and the aftermath of the World Trade Center. Around thirteen hundred die in the swirling waters of Katrina, and thousands upon thousands left homeless; homes are destroyed in the Midwest floods; and hundreds killed as tornados spread havoc throughout the midwest and southern United States. Billions of dollars are lost in the drought of Texas and the lower midwest. And now a hurricane has hugged the coastline from the Carolinas to New England, destroying homes and businesses; costing billions.

One would think that we would have learned the lessons in the World Trade Center’s destruction. Is it far fetched to reason, if catastrophe is happening on our right and our left that something in the heavens could be wrong? Is it wild eyed to think that God just might be trying to get our attention?

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”