Hardheaded People During the Coronavirus Crisis Remind Me of Korah's Rebellion
It's really something that even times of crisis bring out the worst in some people. Why God has allowed the plague to happen is something I can't answer at all. I don't even claim to have the answers but only speculations waiting to be shot down in eternity. The Coronavirus crisis has brought up the worst in many people. Many people in the United States of America (USA) are demanding for their "freedom" in spite of the epidemic. Some people in the Philippines are caught defying protocols one way or another. It's already innate in sinful humanity to hate following even the most basic of rules and provisions. Such people today even rally and cause trouble during the Coronavirus crisis reminding me of Korah's rebellion in Numbers 16.
Korah was Moses' first cousin while the brothers Dathan and Abiram belonged to the Tribe of Reuben. The whole rebellion was because they felt that they were all holy when they weren't. Korah's rebellion was against divinely appointed authority. God has anointed leaders for a reason yet sinful people usually don't want authority. They want to be "free" and they frequently mistake freedom for anarchy. Korah while a man of great authority had questionable morality. They hated the fact that God made Moses and Aaron their boss. They wanted more power than what God allowed. The results of the rebellion were not pretty. Just imagine the 250 men that instigated the rebellion fell into the Earth alive. I'd believe that these wicked men fell into Hell alive giving a preview of what's going to happen after the Millennium is over.
Reading once again in Vernon McGee's "Thru the Bible Commentary" has a very interesting statement the author made up. It goes like this:
These are men of ability and, as always, they appealing to me the mob by making charges such as: "Your rights are being infringed upon. Your leaders are assuming too much authority. You are being deprived of something yo should have."
Doesn't the statement sound very familiar today? It was done by Nazis and Communists to gain power. Adolf Hitler's rise to Germany and Communism's rise to power says such words. The Coronavirus crisis now has people who refuse to follow simple safety rules then blame the government for actions that aren't their fault. I'm not saying people shouldn't point out government mistakes. It's one thing to point out the government for its mistakes (ex. Daniel's three friends and John the Baptist). It's another to lead a rebellion against the government. Neither Daniel's three friends nor John the Baptist incited sedition. John the Baptist rebuked Herod Antipas but never encouraged the crowd to overthrow the king. The same can't be said about people who are raising rebellion. Sadly, some of them even use Christianity as a facade to justify their sinful activities.
Some people today are now demanding their "freedom" in times of danger. I could understand if some pastors want the churches to reopen to a certain extent so they can continue preaching. However, most of the reasons for people wanting their freedom during the Coronavirus crisis are to resume their worldly activities such as the night club and gambling. Others complain about the presence of soldiers and policemen to help maintain peace and order. It's one thing to fear abusive authority figures. It's another thing to fear and hate authority figures in general. It's safe to assume such people want to take advantage of the chaos for their selfish benefit. Others just hate to follow rules. There are Communist figures today who protest against everything the government does. They are encouraging people to rebel. They would spread their lies here and there. Others even try to take advantage of the crisis by submitting Marxist literature inside the bag of relief goods.
Romans 13:1-7 is clear that God has appointed authority figures to keep things in order. While evil authority must be shunned but we are required to pray for our authorities. Paul even wrote the letter during the time of Emperor Nero who was known to be a very wicked man. Some people today (especially members of Communist groups) even want to blame their rulers for plights that they caused themselves. If they refused to follow even the most simple of rules to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus then they have nobody but themselves to blame. The same can be said for the hardheaded Israelites who tried to sympathize with Korah and his assembly who fell into Hell alive. Blaming Moses was just foolish because they brought the plague upon themselves.