Psalm 106: 16-18 What can we learn from this?

5/29/2019

Psalm 106: 16-18 What is the take away? What can we learn from this?

When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.18 Fire also broke out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

The psalmist continues to reflect on the history of God’s involvement in the people of Israel, as the people are becoming a Nation. They were in the learning stage of being a people of one God rather than a people of many gods, i.e., Egypt. The stories that the psalmist refers to can be found in the books of Numbers 16:1-3 and Deuteronomy 11:6.

There were some leaders that became very disrespectful, perhaps out of jealousy. Remember a previous blog post where I referred to how our attitudes can get us in trouble. Again, a group of leaders may have been thinking about how the priesthood in Egypt had power and control (as some commentators reflected) and they either wanted to have the same power and control and/or they saw that Moses and Aaron were gaining the power and control. Whatever it may have been, they became jealous and disrespectful.

How do we respond? What is our “takeaway or lesson learned?”

I would suggest that we learn from Moses and his response. He humbled himself before them and also before God. I went to a website titled myjewishlearning.com and I found three points that I would bring out here: (1) Moses listened to the rebellious leaders before he reacted. (2) He had taken a “posture of submission and humility” in the face of insolent (disrespectful, rude, audacious) attitudes. And (3) He led by example in humble submission. (See the website I listed above).

We can learn from Moses when we face difficult situations in leadership or in any relationship, as noted in biblical text above.

© Dan Kinjorski, 5/29/2019

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Dan is in a second career, that of Counselor, but he is a pastor at heart. He desires to present the Word of God in its context and then challenge the reader in its application to our lives. It is the Word of God that brings revival to our souls. The psalmist writes, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.

Dan and Maribel Kinjorski

Dan and Maribel are Bible Teachers. They love to expound on the Word of God. Maribel has been involved in Church since an early age. A graduate of the University of San German, Puerto Rico, in Business Administration and Economy. Dan is a graduate of East Coast Bible College (now shuttered) and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity (1999) , Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (2019), and now working on a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology: Counseling Education and Supervision.
Maribel Pastored Lilly of the Valley, Church of God, a Hispanic Community in Medford, Oregon. Dan Pastored, at the same time, Family Life Church, Medford, Oregon. They both were each other's assistant in their perspective communities. Dan and Maribel were able to bring together an English speaking, Spanish speaking, and a Deaf (non-hearing) community as "one" in community.
While serving in the military, Dan spent his last 13 years as an Army Chaplain, previously enlisted for seven years as a Communication Specialist. As an Army Chaplain, Dan often pastored Chapel Services ranging from the Gospel Service, General Protestant Service, to an Assembly of God Samoan Chapel Service at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Meanwhile, Maribel supported her husband and often found herself assisting in the Family Readiness Groups when Dan deployed to Iraq or the Middle East (Kuwait) and also working with the Protestant Women of the Chapel. Dan and Maribel are proud parents of David (and Megan) with Olive (2nd grand); Michelle (and Street Wise Hercules) with Lilly (1st grand) and soon to be MJ, (3rd grand).