A family with a shameful past, brothers setting a hopeful example
By Dean Collins
Maybe you know someone afflicted with family shame. When someone in the family has a real or perceived tragic failure, other family members often carry a burden of shame, guilt, and defeat. If you know someone like this, if that someone is you, the Bible has a story to help. The sons of Korah can bring us hope.
Rebellious
We meet the patriarch, Kohath, in Exodus 6:16-21. His cousins were Moses and Aaron, all Levites. In Numbers 4: 1-20 we learn their role and occupation. Kohath and his family were basically the moving crew. They were manual laborers; they carried the holy stuff when it was to be set up and taken down, but cousin Moses and cousin Aaron had the limelight. They were making the decisions and having conversations with God and didn’t have sore backs at the end of a moving day. Eventually the Kohathites got tired of it and complained.
Clearly the emotions and sense of unfairness had been brewing awhile when we get to Numbers 16. Korah had been gathering support from others and rounded up 250 leaders to stand with him as he rebelled against Moses. It didn’t seem right for Moses to be calling all the shots, and clearly it seemed Moses couldn’t get the job done, so Korah was ready to show him and everyone else a better way. But God wasn’t pleased with the rebellion. Arrogant pride and power grabs are never pleasing to God. So the revolt didn’t end well. Korah and the 250 all perished as God had them swallowed up in death.
Serving
Many generations later we discover that some from Korah’s family survived. We don’t know how much shame they may have felt or how they were raised after the deaths of their forbears. But by the time of 1 Chronicles 9:19-30, the sons of Korah are serving as gatekeepers, bakers of the showbread used on the Sabbath, or singers. And they wrote 11 of the psalms included in the Bible
I don’t know if these psalms make up their best-of album or are all their songs. What we can see is a depth of faith and humility of service that indicates they were not victims of their families’ previous sins. They were overcomers. They possessed both wisdom and acceptance that God was on his throne, that he was in control, that while we are on earth there will be difficulties and things we can’t explain and that through it all God is to be praised.
Encouraging
The sons of Korah call us to remember the past, to trust God’s steadfast love, and to rise up in worship (Psalm 44).
We are prompted to affirm that God is on his throne now and forever (Psalm 45).
We are challenged to turn to God as our refuge and strength and not to forget that our posture is one of stillness and quiet as we wait for God to work (Psalm 46).
We are also told to clap our hands in praise to God and to shout songs of joy (Psalm 47).
We are reminded that God is in his temple, which means he is in us now as believers. And his right hand is filled with righteousness now and forever (Psalm 48).
And finally in this grouping of songs from Korah’s sons, we learn that wisdom comes from the mouth of the Lord. We are never to boast in our success, our fame, our wealth, or anything else. We are to rely on God when we die, because he is the ransom for our sin. And while it looks like injustice rules now, all will be resolved and restored by God in the end. We should not doubt or fear (Psalm 49).
The sons of Korah give us hope. We can overcome. God never wastes anything. He doesn’t hold on to our sins when we surrender ourselves to him. God’s redemptive purposes go forward as he reigns forever. So with the sons of Korah as our example and guide, let’s worship and serve him today.
Your time with God’s Word
Psalm 44:1-11, 13, 15, 17-26; 45:6-7; 46:1-3, 10-11; 47:1-2, 5-6; 48:1, 9-10, 14; 49:3-7, 10, 12-13, 15, 20 ESV
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.
