There are some leaders that are worth following, and then there are those that are not.
The problem is that if you choose to follow a bad leader, they’ll drag you down into the pit with them.
I once belonged to a company whose president’s incompetency dragged the company down into bankruptcy.
I should’ve left a lot sooner than I did, but I chose to keep following. (Indirectly, anyway. I didn’t work directly under him, nor did I ever actually meet him)
At any rate, by continuing to follow, I paid a heavy price.
The Israelites learned the same lesson.
Three men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, caused 250 of the Israelite leaders to rebel against Moses, and presumably they influenced many of their followers to rebel as well.
Apparently, their biggest problem with Moses was that he hadn’t led them into the promised land and instead kept them wandering around in the desert.
Of course, they conveniently forgot two things.
First, it was God giving Moses instructions what to do. Moses wasn’t making his own decisions.
Second, it was their rebellion against God that kept them out of the promised land, not Moses.
But on top of that, the Levites weren’t satisfied with their position as helpers to the priests and apparently wanted to be priests themselves.
So they accused Moses of being a power-hungry dictator. (Loose translation.)
Since Dathan and Abiram wouldn’t come before Moses, God told Moses and the people to go to Dathan and Abiram’s tents.
God was originally going to destroy all the people that were following these two, but after Moses interceded, God told Moses to warn the people to get away from these men’s tents.
God then proceeded to swallow these men and their families up into the earth. Then he put to death the 250 Levites by fire.
Their followers then complained against Moses and Aaron saying, “You have killed God’s people.”
God got so upset at their response, that he started a plague against them, and only at Moses’ and Aaron’s intercession were any of them spared.
As if that weren’t enough, God told the tribal leaders to bring their staffs to the Tabernacle.
Out of the 12 staffs, God caused only Aaron’s to sprout, bud, and blossom, producing almonds.
By doing so, he made absolutely clear who he had chosen to lead the people.
Who are you following?
This is important in all aspects of life, but especially on the spiritual side.
What kind of pastor leads your church?
What kinds of Christian books are you reading?
What kinds of Christian teachers do you watch on TV or listen to on the radio or on the internet?
What kinds of things should you be looking for in a spiritual leader?
There are many things, of course, but here are a few.
First, they should be people whose hearts belong to God. People who love him with all their heart.
Second, they should be people who really love the people around them. Who really care about them.
Third, they should be humble.
Moses was one of the humblest men in the world. So was Jesus.
They’re the kind of people we should follow:
People who aren’t so concerned about their position.
People who seek to serve rather than be served.
Fourth, they should be people who teach the word accurately.
Too often I see people that don’t. They may love God and people, but their teachings don’t align with God’s word. And because of that, people fall into spiritual error.
Finally, they should be people whose actions match their words.
They should be practicing what they preach or at least be up front about areas in which they are still struggling and growing.
Many Israelites paid the price by following those they shouldn’t have. We will too, if we’re not careful.
Who are you following?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 