Bad Guys of the Bible: Korah

by David Chadwick

Every good story has a hero and a villain. We have already looked at many hidden heroes in the Bible as well as some unlikely heroes. Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at some of the bad guys of the Bible and the chaos that ensued in God's story. These are people who lacked integrity and brought trouble to anyone and anything in their paths.

Let's start with Korah. His story is found in Number 16:1-40. You might remember that I chose the sons of Korah as some of my hidden heroes. Korah, on the other hand, was a blatant villain. A calculated and evil leader with intent to harm. Pride and selfish ambition motivated him. He had a great desire for power and influence.

Korah led a group of 250 co-conspirators against Moses and his leadership. Have you ever known anyone like this? Over the years, I have seen my share of people who seem to think they can do a job better than their leader. Whether it's children with their parents or employees with a boss, these are people who are often full of criticism. Much like Korah felt about Moses, these people think they should be the leader and could do the job better.

Let's get back to Korah's story. He set out a coup, but God intervened. The next morning, Moses and his brother Aaron called all of Korah's people to step forward from their tents so that God could decide whether Korah or Moses should lead. The Bible says that God closed the earth over them and they perished (Numbers 16:31-33).

Immediately thereafter, the Lord's anger burned against Korah's calculated rebellion against his chosen leadership and a plague struck killing another 14,700 people!

Here's the truth. Rebellion is the sin of witchcraft. It's demonic to rebel against God's chosen leaders. Learn to follow your leader or go find a place where you can lead!

I have seen so many examples, both inside and outside of the Bible, where blessings come when God gives his vision to an appointed leader and the people gladly follow. Korah's rebellion caused confusion and hindered God's work. It also eventually brought God's judgment.

Be very careful before you lift your hand against God's anointed. It's a characteristic of many bad guys in the Bible. Korah being one of them.