WEEKLY REFLECTION by Pastor Lap Dinh on Numbers 16:20-24

Moses’ heart is a model—not only for leaders, but for all Christ’s followers as well. In a Moses-like way, we can appeal to God through Jesus Christ: “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will You be angry with all the congregation?” Lord Jesus, we are assured that when someone sins and repents, You forgive that person and spare the Body of Christ.

In this passage, God instructs Moses: “Say to the congregation, ‘Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’” That is, He spares the congregation but judges the unrepentant rebels.

Someone might ask, “Why did He not show grace and mercy to them?” We don’t know for sure, but something may have been tragically hardened in their hearts—opposing the Lord’s appointed leader, Moses.

Some may say, “That’s the Old Testament, so it was harsh.” But God is not confused about who is His and who is playing games with His holiness. The LORD does something many people dislike: He draws a line. This is not cruelty; it is mercy with urgency. Judgment is real, and so is a clear, rescuing warning.

We see the same principle and similar seriousness in the New Testament that calls us to purge sin from the congregation. For example:

(a) Holiness/separation language applied to covenant loyalty (2 Corinthians 6:14–18).

(b) Separation from divisive, deceptive teachers to protect the church (Romans 16:17–18).

(c) Separation to preserve the community from shared corruption or judgment (1 Corinthians 5:6–13).(d) Separation as a path to being “a vessel for honorable use,” and to “avoid” irreverent talk (2 Timothy 2:16–21).(e) Separation so you do not “take part in his wicked works” (2 John 10–11).(f) A sober warning that the same rebellious spirit invites the same kind of ruin—explicitly naming Korah’s rebellion (Jude 11–13).(g) A warning about willful rebellion and fearful judgment (Hebrews 10:26–31).(h) A direct “come out… so you don’t share in her plagues” theme (Revelation 18:4).

Remember, sin calls us to play with it. But God calls us to put it away in Christ Jesus, who enables us to run to Him as soon as possible so that His grace, mercy, and love will cover us—so that we do not mingle with sin or linger with unrepentant and rebellious “Christians” who refuse to let go of a sinful lifestyle.