Bible Study - Leadership With Reproof

January 7 – 13, 2024

Key Text

“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.” Proverbs 16:2

Study Help: Testimonies, Vol. 4, 227–240

Introduction

“To those who are in the wrong, and deserving of reproof, there is nothing more pleasing than to receive sympathy and praise.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 397

Sunday

1 A PERSISTENT REBELLION

1.a. How did Moses respond to the rebellion that Korah had incited against him—but above all, against God? Numbers 16:4–7

1.b. How did Dathan and Abiram respond when Moses sent for them? Numbers 16:12

Note: “They [the Israelites] did not realize the necessity of seeking pardon of God for their grievous sin. That night of probation was not passed in repentance and confession, but in devising some way to resist the evidences which showed them to be the greatest of sinners. They still cherished hatred of the men of God’s appointment, and braced themselves to resist their authority. Satan was at hand to pervert their judgment and lead them blindfold to destruction.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 402

1.c. How did those involved in the rebellion view themselves? Numbers 16:2, 3

Note: “The charge that the murmurings of the people had brought upon them the wrath of God was declared to be a mistake. They [the conspirators] said that the congregation were not at fault, since they desired nothing more than their rights; but that Moses was an overbearing ruler; that he had reproved the people as sinners, when they were a holy people, and the Lord was among them.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 397

Monday

2 SELF–DECEIVED

2.a. What principle did Korah violate? Luke 14:8–11

Note: “Korah had cherished his envy and rebellion until he was self-deceived, and he really thought that the congregation was a very righteous people, and that Moses was a tyrannical ruler, continually dwelling upon the necessity of the congregation’s being holy, when there was no need of it, for they were holy.” The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, 300

2.b. Knowing God’s law, what mistake did the rebels make? 2 Corinthians 10:12

Note: “These rebellious ones [Korah and his company] had flattered the people in general to believe that they were right, and that all their troubles arose from Moses their ruler, who was continually reminding them of their sins. The people thought that if Korah could lead them and encourage them and dwell upon their righteous acts, instead of reminding them of their failures, they should have a very peaceful, prosperous journey, and he would without doubt lead them, not back and forward in the wilderness, but into the Promised Land. They said that it was Moses who had told them that they could not go into the land, and that the Lord had not thus said.” The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, 300

2.c. What is a source of trouble for people with similar issues as those raised by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram? 1 Kings 22:5–8

Note: “Korah reviewed the history of their [the congregation’s] travels through the wilderness, where they had been brought into strait places, and many had perished because of their murmuring and disobedience. His hearers thought they saw clearly that their troubles might have been prevented if Moses had pursued a different course. They decided that all their disasters were chargeable to him, and that their exclusion from Canaan was in consequence of the mismanagement of Moses and Aaron; that if Korah would be their leader, and would encourage them by dwelling upon their good deeds instead of reproving their sins, they would have a very peaceful, prosperous journey; instead of wandering to and fro in the wilderness, they would proceed directly to the Promised Land.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 397, 398

Tuesday

3 SELF–INFLICTED BLINDNESS

3.a. Confronted with the deceptions faced in Christian warfare, how do people tend to view themselves? Proverbs 3:7; 12:15; 16:2; 21:2

Note: “They [the Israelites] had been flattered by Korah and his company until they really believed themselves to be very good people, and that they had been wronged and abused by Moses. Should they admit that Korah and his company were wrong, and Moses right, then they would be compelled to receive as the word of God the sentence that they must die in the wilderness. They were not willing to submit to this, and they tried to believe that Moses had deceived them. They had fondly cherished the hope that a new order of things was about to be established, in which praise would be substituted for reproof, and ease for anxiety and conflict. The men who had perished had spoken flattering words and had professed great interest and love for them, and the people concluded that Korah and his companions must have been good men, and that Moses had by some means been the cause of their destruction.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 401, 402

3.b. In order to convince themselves of a lie, how was the land of Egypt described by the people? Numbers 16:12, 13

Note: “They [the rebels] accused Moses of being the cause of their not entering the Promised Land. They said that God had not dealt with them thus. He had not said that they should die in the wilderness. They would never believe that He had thus said; but that it was Moses who had said this, not the Lord; and that it was all arranged by Moses to never bring them to the land of Canaan. They spoke of his leading them from a land that flowed with milk and honey. They forgot in their blind rebellion their sufferings in the land of Egypt, and the desolating plagues brought upon that land. But they now accuse Moses of bringing them from a good land, to kill them in the wilderness that he might be made rich with their possessions. They inquired of Moses, in an insolent manner, if he thought that none of all the host of Israel were wise enough to understand his motives, and … to have him lead them about like blind men as he pleased, sometimes toward Canaan, then back again toward the Red Sea and Egypt. These words they spoke before the congregation, and utterly refused to any longer acknowledge the authority of Moses and Aaron.” The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, 298, 299

Wednesday

4 THE SHOWDOWN

4.a. Who gathered the entire congregation for the deciding event to determine true leadership? Numbers 16:14–19. Describe the contrasting attitudes.

Note: “It was evident that the sympathies of the people were with the disaffected party; but Moses made no effort at self-vindication. He solemnly appealed to God, in the presence of the congregation, as a witness to the purity of his motives and the uprightness of his conduct, and implored Him to be his judge. …

“It was not Moses who assembled the congregation to behold the defeat of Korah and his company, but the rebels, in their blind presumption, had called them together to witness their victory. A large part of the congregation openly sided with Korah, whose hopes were high of carrying his point against Aaron.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 399, 400

4.b. Although encouraged at first by the solidarity with the majority of the Israelite leaders, why was a division created between the subversive leadership and the congregation? Numbers 16:20–27

Note: “The chief rebels saw themselves abandoned by those whom they had deceived, but their hardihood was unshaken. They stood with their families in the door of their tents, as if in defiance of the divine warning.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 400

4.c. By what miraculous event did God reveal that these apostates were determined to defy His will? Numbers 16:28–35

Note: “Satan caused them [the rebels] to reject God as their leader, by rejecting the men of God’s appointment. Yet while in their murmuring against Moses and Aaron they blasphemed God, they were so deluded as to think themselves righteous, and to regard those who had faithfully reproved their sins as actuated by Satan.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 403

“God had given overwhelming evidence that He was leading Israel. But Korah and his companions rejected light until they became so blinded that the most striking manifestations of His power were not sufficient to convince them; they attributed them all to human or satanic agency. … . It was this act that sealed their doom. They had committed the sin against the Holy Spirit.” The Review and Herald, November 12, 1903

Thursday

5 TRUE LEADERSHIP

5.a. How do we know that not all the children of Korah were supportive of his rebellion? 1 Chronicles 6:33–38. What is another name for Shemuel? 1 Chronicles 6:28, 33

5.b. What lessons did Israel need to keep in memory as a result of this experience? Numbers 16:36–40

5.c. What spirit did all Israel show after the punishment of the rebels? Numbers 16:41–43

Note: “The same thing was done by the people, who the day after the destruction of the men who had deceived them, they dared to attribute His judgments to Satan, declaring that through the power of the evil one, Moses and Aaron had caused the death of good and holy men.” The Review and Herald, November 12, 1903

5.d. How did Moses and Aaron show their true spirit as leaders when the plague began to destroy the remaining participants in the rebellion? Numbers 16:44–50

Note: “The guilt of sin did not rest upon Moses, and hence he did not fear and did not hasten away and leave the congregation to perish. Moses lingered, in this fearful crisis manifesting the true shepherd’s interest for the flock of his care. He pleaded that the wrath of God might not utterly destroy the people of His choice. By his intercession he stayed the arm of vengeance, that a full end might not be made of disobedient, rebellious Israel.

“But the minister of wrath had gone forth; the plague was doing its work of death. By his brother’s direction, Aaron took a censer and hastened into the midst of the congregation to ‘make an atonement for them.’ ‘And he stood between the dead and the living.’ As the smoke of the incense ascended, the prayers of Moses in the tabernacle went up to God; and the plague was stayed; but not until fourteen thousand of Israel lay dead, an evidence of the guilt of murmuring and rebellion.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 402, 403

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What type of deception poses the greatest danger to believers?

2 Similar to the prevalent modern thinking, what was the new method of labor that the people expected in the new order to be established by Korah?

3 To what extent did self-deception lead the people in their remembrance of the land of Egypt?

4 How does the experience of Korah show that children do not necessarily follow in the footsteps of their parents?

5 What can we learn from the experience of Moses and Aaron during the height of the plague?