Scripture: Numbers 16:1-19 (NIV)

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?”

Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!”

Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”

Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly.

Mon Mothma was part of the Old Republic Senate and, when the Old Republic fell and the Galactic Empire was formed, she stayed as a part of that body, representing her home world of Chandrila while trying to subtly resist the Emperor’s growing reach. She worked behind the scenes with people like Bail Organa and Luthen Rael to help those that were straining against Palpatine’s leash but she didn’t take a formal stand. The deception was dangerous but Mothma walked the tightrope for quite some time.

Then came the Ghorman Massacre. We don’t know much about the incident, other than Imperial troops slaughtered peaceful protesters on the planet Ghorman. That was the last straw for Mothma, who denounced the Emperor from the floor of the Senate. Her staff get her off-planet with the Empire hot on her heels. She is protected by others that are a part of the growing rebellion, including the Ghost crew, and she formally calls for others to join her in an open revolt.

In today’s Scripture we read of another rebellion against a powerful figure. We think of Moses as such a faithful and dedicated servant of God. Not everyone saw him that way, however. We know that the Israelites often grumbled and complained, but this is one of the few times we see an open push against Moses’s authority. Korah and his followers thought Moses had too much power and wanted their own direct access to God.

There’s no doubt that God tells us to submit to authority. However, there are going to be times when the authority isn’t doing the right thing. How can we tell when we should go along and when we should push back at things that don’t seem right?

First off, check your motivation. Mon Mothma was thinking of the people of Ghorman and of others that were being oppressed by the Empire, not her own position or even her own people. Korah was definitely focused more about his position and his own well-being than how things were going overall.

Secondly, see how the opposition reacts. The Empire wouldn’t brook any sort of denunciation and tried to capture Mothma for either trial or execution. Moses, on the other hand, immediately turned it over to the Lord. He allowed God to make the decision, even if for some reason it wasn’t going to be him that God chose. (To be fair, he was pretty confident.) Moses knew that he shouldn’t be the final say in such an important issue, God should.

Spending time in prayer is always a good choice. Like Moses, ask God for guidance when you may be in a situation that brings you into conflict with a boss, a government official, or a religious leader. It may be that you are in the wrong and you need to reflect on how to resolve the issue with yourself. Or it may be a serious thing that you need to address. Let God point you in the right way!