Perishing From the Assembly

I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. (Jn. 10:14)

In the rebellion of Korah, the dissenters falsely declared that the Lord was among “every one of them.” (Num. 16:3) Moses responded that the Lord would show who was His and who is holy, and He would cause the one He chooses to come near to Him (vs. 5). It was clear to Moses that the Lord was not, in fact, among every one of them. The Lord demonstrated who were His and who were not by swallowing the rebels alive into a pit. They perished from among the assembly (vss. 32-33).

Today there are so many who claim that the Lord is among them while they rebel against God’s chosen Leader (Jesus Christ). But what did Jesus say? He knows His sheep, and they know Him. They believe He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, so they follow Him (Jn. 10:27).

I remember telling a young man who unashamedly admitted living in fornication that he was not the Lord’s sheep. He kept telling me how sad it made him feel for me to say such a thing, and he pressed me to confess that he was the Lord’s sheep based on his having prayed a prayer at one time to be saved. I refused. How could I claim he was the Lord’s sheep when Jesus said His sheep know His voice and follow Him, refusing to obey the voice of a stranger? (Jn. 10:4-5) After trying for two years to get this young man to come to a place of repentance, he still defended his sinful lifestyle and wicked heart. He still argued against holiness and obedience to the Lord every chance he got, most often while “fellowshiping” with other Christians. The true sheep do not do these things, and such “fellowship” is worthless, as light is forever divided from darkness. When we figure out we are in the presence of an unrepentant Korah, we need to, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” (Num. 16:26)

The Apostle Paul may have been referring back to the rebellion of Korah when he wrote the following:

Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2 Tim. 2:19)

Despite the deceitful words and conjured-up doctrines of religious rebels, the Lord does know those who are His. He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver, testing and proving and perfecting that which is real (Mal. 3:3). His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matt. 3:12)

Who shall draw near to the Lord? Is the Lord with us just because we insist He is? Can we be close to the Lord while disregarding His Word?

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face. (Psa. 24:3-6)

What about the disobedient who insist that God is with them?

To these He says,

What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? (Psa. 50:16-17)

Just as Korah perished from the assembly, so these will perish from God’s assembly if they do not repent. They may hang around the congregation of the righteous, but they will not remain there. The wheat will be gathered to Christ, and the chaff will be thrown in unquenchable fire. They may fool some people for a time, but they will not fool the searching eye of the Lord. Many will go alive into the pit with choir robes on.

Religious people who feverishly work to draw more disobedient disciples after themselves are often admired and followed by many. They can have the biggest churches and appear to have thriving ministries. Nevertheless, they are late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots…for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 12-13). Don’t be fooled by appearances; one day after Korah made his bold claims against God’s authority, he was destroyed. The Lord knows those who are His.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psa. 1)

Graves of Craving

 

Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” Num. 11:4-6         

Here was a people miraculously saved out of Egypt and graciously delivered from the cruel bondage they had once endured. Not only had they witnessed incredible miracles all along the way, every meal was itself a miracle–bread from heaven which would fully sustain them. What did they have to say about this wonderful food? “Our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”      

Is this attitude not prevalent among those professing to be God’s people? “We don’t want to hear the Word of God–that dusty old book is not exciting. Take away this manna from before our eyes. No, but give us something more pleasing to our flesh, something like what we freely ate in the world!”       

The “mixed multitude…yielded to intense craving.” Next thing you know, the Israelites “yielded” also, and were weeping for food other than what God had provided. There are those among us who will cause us to stumble if we don’t keep a careful guard on our flesh. We have a choice to yield ourselves to God, or yield ourselves as slaves to our fleshly desires (Rom. 6:16).        

“We remember the fish…” moaned the Israelites.  Oh, when we look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly–watch out! At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper (Prov. 23:32).  If we spend our time lusting for our former way of life, we will surely have opportunity to return (Heb. 11:15).  “It was well with us in Egypt,” they said (Num. 11:18). Really?!         

For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Pet. 2:21-22      

  

God gave this message to the people through Moses:         

Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” Num. 11:18-20          

You want something else besides manna? God will give it to you! Do you realize when you prefer the food of the Egyptians to the Bread from heaven, you despise the LORD? The LORD gave the Israelites the desire of their hearts:        

But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving. Num. 11:33-34         

Jesus Christ is the true Bread of heaven (John 6:32-58), the Truth (John 14:6), and the Word of God (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13). If we eat of Him on our sojourn here, we will not die.   

He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. Deut. 8:3    

Do you hate the Word of God? Do you despise this daily bread? Would you rather diet on things more pleasing to your flesh?        

Then God will give you what you desire.         

Those who reject truth will be given over to damning deception and delusion, just as the Israelites were given what they desired and subsequently struck with a plague.         

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2: 9-12         

If we cry for Egypt’s meat, not being satisfied with Jesus Christ, we may get exactly what we crave–and Egypt’s reward along with it.         

He also rained meat on them like the dust, feathered fowl like the sand of the seas; and He let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings. So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them their own desire. They were not deprived of their craving; but while their food was still in their mouths, the wrath of God came against them, and slew the stoutest of them, and struck down the choice men of Israel. Psalm 78:27-31         

So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving (Num. 11:34).  “Kibroth Hattavah” literally means “Graves of Craving” !         

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…If you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Rom. 8:5-6, 13         

Dear reader, don’t let a fleshly craving of any kind lead you to your spiritual death. Feast gratefully upon the good Word of God who was sent to heal you (Psalm 107:20). Keep your flesh subdued, lest because of it, you become a castaway (I Cor. 9:27) and join the dead in the Graves of Craving.          

God bless you!