Over the past few months, I spent some time doing some upgrades in the kitchen. I usually am not big into changing the decor or even spending money; however, there were some items on my Amazon wish list, and a whole lot of quarantine time to go shopping. A new marble cutting board. An over-the-sink dish organizer. A new set of steak knives. An AquaTru Water system. The list goes on and on. I had to put a halt to my shopping. There came a point when I said, “Isn’t it enough.” I had waited so long with these items on my wish list, and now it was as if I wanted the world and all that it contained. Instead, I stopped and enjoyed what I just purchased.
In Numbers 16, we aren’t reading about a group of people wanting a lot of things. It wasn’t about stuff, but more so about position. You will find in life that power, possessions, and pleasure can easily lead to sin. Here we have a situation where someone had the power and prestige— a group was set apart. To be set apart means to be holy for the work of God. The Levites were actually serving in the Tabernacle. The people had a great position to not only be near God, but to also minister to the people. What prestige. What honor.
Yet we read that the Levites pitch a fit. The people oppose Moses and Aaron with a “what gives you the right” type dialogue, and said hey, all the people are holy and the Lord is with them all. Certainly, that was true. The Israelites in general were set apart as God’s chosen people. Yes, God was with them too. The heart of the matter though was not the similarities that they all shared, but in the differences of assignment. Korah was protesting because, though given a great position and a great honor, it truly isn’t enough. Korah believed that Moses and Aaron were attempting to take top honors, attempting to set themselves above the others. The truth however is that God gave them the position. Instead, Korah should have been thankful for his own blessings.
Today, is there something you are grumbling about? Are you dissatisfied with your current state? Are you frustrated because someone else got the promotion? Do you feel like you are missing out? The world will tell you how to get to be the top dog. Instead of listening to the world, pray to God and share what is on your heart. Perhaps this is an “Isn’t it enough” scenario. Make a point to be thankful no matter what. Thank God for where you are at. Pray for where you would like to be. And if you aren’t seeing forward movement, ask God to show you why. He may open your eyes to something that could change your perspective. Isn’t it enough?
“Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelite community to bring you near to himself, to perform the work at the Lord’s tabernacle, and to stand before the community to minister to them?” – Numbers 16:9 [CSB]
Tania Gutekunst 