Jealously Kills

When Ambition Turns into Rebellion

Bible Passages: Numbers 12:1–10, Numbers 16:1–10, Numbers 16:31–33, Numbers 16:41-50

Main Bible Passage: Numbers 16:1–10

Thank you Pastor and First Lady for this opportunity to speak to the people of this blessed house.

Thank you to friends and family present and also watching online. Lastly, I thank my husband, Pastor Arthur L. Watson Jr. Thank you for your vision and your love for me.

Will you please stand for the reading of God’s word.

Numbers 16:1–10 “Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took two hundred fifty prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses. They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will reveal who belongs to him, who is set apart, and the one he will let come near him. He will let the one he chooses come near him. Korah, you and all your followers are to do this: take firepans, and tomorrow place fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord. Then the man the Lord chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you Levites who have gone too far!”

Prayer: Father thank you for this opportunity. Please let me decrease while you increase. Let the words of your heart and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, my strength and redeemer.

Amen

Introduction:

He was one of the most influential African American leaders in U.S. history. Born into slavery in 1856, he rose from humble beginnings to become a teacher, writer, speaker and founder of the Tuskegee Institute. Booker T. Washington was not just unique for his vision but for his posture. He didn’t demand platforms, he built one.

He didn’t seize titles, but earned respect through discipline, faith and service. He didn’t push his way to the front or run over people in the process. He walked in quiet, humble leadership like Moses.

Booker T. Washington was criticized for working with white leaders or being too accommodating. Booker T., like Moses, faced jealously and competition for different ideals that threatened his influence.

In the book of Numbers we will see how Moses’s own sister, Miriam challenged Moses out of envy. A Levite leader named Korah challenged Moses and Aaron, not because they weren’t qualified but because they were chosen by God.

The fact is, these people weren’t challenging Moses. They were rebelling against God himself.

Let’s look at the text.

Numbers 16:1–3 “Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took two hundred fifty prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses. They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?””

1. Jealously Distorts Judgement

Numbers 16:1–10

Before we can begin to break down our text, we have to first go back to chapter 12 where Korah witnessed Miriam disrespect Moses in front of the community.

In Numbers 12:1–10 “Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman).

The Cushite people came from the southern region of Egypt, which is present day Sudan. The Cushites were known for their dark skin. And when Moses married the Cushite woman, he married someone who was both ethnically and racially different than the Israelites.

And at first glance, it might seem that Miriam and Aaron’s complaint was that Moses married a black woman. But verse 2 shows the true motivation behind the complaints.

They said, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does he not also speak through us?”

Their complaint really wasn’t about Moses’ wife’s ethnicity or skin color, but was about Moses’s calling and authority over the people.

Then the text says,

And the Lord heard it.

Who heard it? The LORD heard it.

The passage goes on to say that Moses was a humble man who speaks face to face with God.

Then the second part of verse 8 says,

So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” The Lord’s anger burned against them, and he left.

Now the rest of Numbers chapter 12 tells us that God struck Miriam with leprosy so that her skinned turned white as snow.

You might be wondering why was Miriam punished and not Aaron. In the Hebrew text, Miriam’s name comes first and this indicates that she was the primary instigator.

Moses interceded on behalf of his sister, but God allowed Miriam to suffer for 7 days before He restored her skin and allowed her to return back to the camp.

Miriam’s “concern for the Lord speaking through Moses” wasn’t about correction but jealously and competition.

The crazy part is, the entire community knew what was going on because they couldn’t leave for 7 days until Miriam was completely restored back to the camp.

So one might think that Korah would have learned his lesson from Miriam’s mistake.

But oh no, instead, Korah allowed that devil called discontentment and self- absorbed ambition to lead him astray.

The text says, Numbers 16:1–3 Now Korah and his homies took two hundred fifty prominent Israelite men (not ordinary men but men) who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly. And they ALL rebelled against Moses. They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?””

My Lord!

This is what I call the comparison game. These leaders were comparing themselves to Moses. They were saying, I’m just as holy as Moses. God is with me just like he is Moses. So why does Moses think he can tell me what to do? Why does Moses act like he’s better than everyone else?

Sound familiar? That co-worker that God blessed for the promotion that you thought you were supposed to get. And you find yourself saying, why did he or why did she get the promotion?

These men, following Korah’s mislead leadership caused them to question God's appointed authority in Moses. In other words, Korah was attempting to usurp a position that was not assigned to him.

A true leader, or shall I say, a God appointed leader doesn’t have to fight for visibility. If your leadership comes from God, your gifts will make room for you.

You don’t have to make up positions or titles when God appoints you for leadership.

But sometimes the issue is not ambition itself but the lack of submission to God's chosen plan.

Come on. I know I’m not the only person that has heard about the leader at so-in-so’s church who is always opposing the pastor. Always sending negative emails to the pastor criticizing his sermon. Always thinks he has better ideas than his pastor. He might even think he has more power than the pastor, especially if he can get other leaders to follow his lead.

But let me tell you this opposition isn’t because he doesn’t believe that God isn’t using his pastor. His opposition comes from a place of jealously or the refusal to submit to the God ordained leadership. And in all honestly, if you can’t submit to the spiritual leadership of your pastor and ride the wave of his vision, then baby, it might be time for you to get off that bus. It might be time for you to move on before God moves you out.

For example, in the book of Genesis, we see dangerous ambition rooted in jealousy in Joseph’s brothers. They were fueled by envy over Joseph's favored status with their father Jacob. They couldn’t stand the dreams he shared, their ambition led them to plot Joseph’s demise.

And let me make a side note here to say that not everyone can handle your dreams. Some dreams you need to keep to yourself!

Joseph’s bother’s jealousy, while initially appearing as a family conflict, spiraled into a series of events that brought heartbreak and regret. Their ambition caused them to sink into betrayal and sin.

Jealously always invites judgement when it resists divine appointments.

So I want you to ask yourself, in what ways can I ensure my ambitions align with God’s will and won’t lead me into rebellion?

How can I recognize God's sovereignty to influence my personal ambitions and motivations in daily life?

An English Preacher named John Robert Walmsley Scott said,

“Personal ambition and empire building are hindering the spread of the gospel.”

Are your personal ambitions empire building or kingdom building? You can’t have both.

We live in a time in culture where it’s all about likes, clicks, followers and celebrity pastors. You look at their IG or social media channels and you can’t even tell the preacher from everyone else. They have an entourage following them around, even to the bathroom. They have to have their name announced when they enter in the building. And they expect a front row seat when they come to your church. That’s not kingdom building, that’s empire building.

Then we wonder why so many people leave the church when these celebrity pastors fall.

The problem is, once you get to the point where the old folks say, “you start smelling yourself” and no one can tell you anything, you will try to take on titles or positions that you are not spiritually ready to handle.

Self-absorbed ambition without humility always leads to destructive consequences.

Jealousy distorts judgement, but point 2 is bad judgement always tries to jump rank.

2. Bad Judgement always tries to Jump Rank

Let’s go back to our text:

Numbers 16:10–15 “He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites who are with you, but you are pursuing the priesthood as well.

(In other words, God has allowed you to positionally be in His presence. You’ve had the opportunity to witness his glory. To witness his miracles, and spectacular deeds. But that wasn’t good enough for you. No you want to take over the priesthood as well.)

Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the Lord! As for Aaron, who is he that you should complain about him?” Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us? Furthermore, you didn’t bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!” Then Moses became angry and said to the Lord, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”

You see, this is the problem with selfish ambition. It always has a way of motivating others to blindly follow in your footsteps.

This always happens in a political rebellion. A political rebellion is an attempt to rise up by attacking your “so called” opponent publically, or through humiliation.

But true leaders don’t have to manipulate others to follow them. They don’t have to use forceful ambition tactics on the backs of their followers to prosper. They don’t sew division in between marriages and relationships. True leaders aren’t afraid to share leadership responsibilities, and desire their ministry to grow outside of their own influence. True leaders are not intimidated by God working through others or using others in ways that He has not used them.

True leaders know when to speak up and when to shut up. They wanted to be stretched versus being stagnant or stuck in tradition. True leaders grow a leadership bench and are not afraid to share leadership responsibilities. True leaders know when to lead, but even more so, true leaders know when to follow.

Korah’s distrust in God’s plan, was not only costly, but it cost those closely associated with him.

That’s why you have to be careful who you listen to and who you follow. Not everyone with a pulpit or a microphone is worth following.

It used to be a time that people were vetted before they took on a public facing position. Now everyone with a cell phone and a podcast call themselves a preacher or a prophet. Let me tell you that that’s why God gives you discernment. If God has elevated you, then you don’t have to worry about holding onto power. Now if man has elevated you, that’s a whole different scenario.

But let me say this, if God elevates you to a position of leadership and or power, people will question everything you do. They will question your every decision.

People questioned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s methods. They questioned his non-violence stance. They questioned his methods, his message, and his theological approach and political posture. Some questioned if he was even a follower of Christ. They ridiculed him, set traps for him, and ultimately because of jealously, they killed him.

People questioned Jesus’ tactics, his message, and his approach. They questioned him all the way to the cross.

So don’t think you are immune!

Miriam questioned Moses’ authority. Korah questioned Moses’ authority. Now Korah’s home boys Dathan and Abiram, thought they could do the same.

They said, “We will not come! Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us? Furthermore, you didn’t bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”

They were basically saying, who gave you permission to be ruler over us? You took us out of Egypt and you still haven’t taken us to the Promised Land, but we are out here wandering in the desert.

This is the kind of rebellion against God-established leadership that showcases the danger of unchecked ambition leading to spiritual pride.

For example, King Saul's was appointed by God because the people wanted a king. But Saul’s ambition led him to disobey God's commands. God told him to wipe out the Amelikites and destroy everything. But Saul kept the spoils and kept their king alive. That’s when the prophet Samuel said, “what is the bleating of sheep I hear?” Samuel told Saul because of your disobedience, God was taking away his kingship. But Saul’s relentless pursuit of power and jealousy over David was fueled by the desire to maintain his throne. This ambition ultimately led to his downfall, as the kingdom was torn from him. Saul's tragic story serves as a sobering reminder that unchecked ambition can have devastating consequences, not just for ourselves but also for those we lead.

That’s why Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”

It doesn’t say seek out your own ambitions. It doesn’t say seek out power or position. It says seek God’s kingdom of righteousness first!

Now I don’t want you to misunderstand me. Ambition in itself is not wrong but it must be aligned with God's will and it must be demonstrated through humility and service.

Discontentment and rebellion against God's appointed leaders can result in serious spiritual ramifications.

Are you praying for your pastor and ministers? Are you praying for God’s direction for them? Are you praying God’s will for them? Or are you criticizing their every decision?

Jealousy distorts judgement, bad judgement always tries to jump rank, the third point is, God always brings justification with justice.

3. Justification and Justice

Let’s go back to our text

Numbers 16:28–35 “Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord sent me to do all these things and that it was not of my own will: If these men die naturally as all people would, and suffer the fate of all, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something unprecedented, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them along with all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the Lord.” Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s people, and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly. At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled because they thought, “The earth may swallow us too!” Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men…

Moses didn’t retaliate, but he rested in God’s vindication. Like Moses, Booker T didn’t retaliate. Instead, he continued to serve, teach and build. He stayed on mission, even while people criticized his approach.

God will justify you when people try to replace you.

God will allow you to walk in the favor that he has already given you even when people criticize you. Side note, stop asking God for favor. You don’t need to pray for favor. You just need to walk in the favor that was already given to you at the cross. If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are a child of God. You are a prince or a princess of the king. You are a co-heir with Jesus. Then this means you already have favor. So walk in it. Live like it.

Misalignment, can bring catastrophic consequences. And in this case, their rebellion cost them their lives because the earth swallowed the rebels. This serves as a solemn reminder of the danger of rejecting God’s arrangement. When you are spiritually aligned, you can hear God’s voice over your voice.

Jesus said, “my sheep hear my voice.”

Ambition should drive one towards God’s will, not away.

But the crazy part of this story is it didn’t end with Korah and his homeboy’s rebellion. Despite witnessing God’s judgment on Miriam, despite witnessing the ground swallowing up Korah, his homeboys, and all of their families and belongings. Despite all of this, the people continued to rebel.

The text says, Numbers 16:41

41 The next day

Hold up! It says,

The next day the entire Israelite community complained about Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the LORD’s people!”

Now when you heard this you probably are thinking what in the world is wrong with these people? Do they not remember what happened to Miriam? Do they not remember what happened to Korah, his homeboys and their families?

Verse 42

42 When the community assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the LORD’s glory appeared. 43 Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the LORD said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this community so that I may consume them instantly.” But they fell facedown.

And here it is, Moses is interceding on behalf of these disgruntled people.

46 Then Moses told Aaron, “Take your firepan, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the community and make atonement for them, because wrath has come from the LORD; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took his firepan as Moses had ordered, ran into the middle of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people. After he added incense, he made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted. 49 But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who died because of the Korah incident. 50 Aaron then returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, since the plague had been halted.

Now that’s true leadership. A true leader will continue to serve even when maligned. A true leader will continue to lead despite the moaning and groaning of the ungrateful people following him. And that’s why God chose Moses and not Korah. And that’s why God chose your pastor and not you.

Rebellion can blind us to God’s truth. Christ, our High Priest, intercedes for us, providing a model of perfect obedience and submission to God's authority. It’s time for some of us to seek reconciliation with our spiritual leaders and alignment with God's will through Christ.

Miriam, Korah and his homeboys exemplify how dissatisfaction can lead to grave mistakes and, ultimately, God's judgment.

But if you cultivate humility and trust God’s wisdom in leadership decisions it will prevent such divisive trails.

In the context of rebellion against authority, this passage foreshadows Christ's ultimate authority as the true leader, the one who humbled Himself and showed perfect obedience to the Father, contrasting with the pride of Korah and his followers.

Big Idea: True ambition in the Christian life is rooted in humility and submission to God's will, not in rebellion against His authority.

In every generation, including our own, we all face the temptation to confuse ambition with anointing. We face the temptation to confuse charisma with calling. We each face the temptation to push our way into roles or position that God never assigned, and then we have the nerve to attack those God appointed

Application:

Judge your own motives

Join God’s order, don’t resist it.

Journey in humility and let God elevate in His timing, not yours.

Jealousy distorts judgement, bad judgement always tries to jump rank, and God always brings justification with justice.