Conflict began with rebellion in heaven.  Who was it?  It wasn’t Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life who led the rebellion against God, it was Lucifer.  As it pertained to Korah and Dathan, these men came and told Moses, “You’ve taken too much on yourself.”  Moses heard it and fell on his face.  Every leader should follow this wisdom.  Moses knew the truth, that he didn’t appoint himself.  Moses was confronted by a burning bush.  The I AM spoke to Moses, not to Korah.  Even when God was speaking to Moses, calling him and saying He was going to be with him and show him all the signs and the wonders, Moses was trying to get out of it.  “I can’t speak, I’m not the man for the job.”  Pastors are not to lord it over the flock.  They are not to take the oversight by constraint, but willingly; amen?

Now, you might think, what’s that all about?  Let me remind you, in the early church, being a pastor was not popular.  Being a pastor meant you’re the first guy to get stoned, right?  The head of the church, the pastors were the ones being stoned to death, the one’s being crucified upside down.  It was not a glamorous job.  If you read some of the old history of the early fathers, you’ll see, then, how difficult it was to get people to assume these rolls.  Don’t do it by constraint, do it willingly.  Why?  The flock needs this gift set before them to protect, to guide, to strengthen them, and tragically this has been so minimized in this day that we’re living in.

So, Moses falls on his face, gives the mandate for them to go get their censers and come and stand before him.  In Numbers 16:7 Moses says, “Ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.”  The Levites served to assist the priesthood.  Some Levites would carry the tabernacle.  Others would carry all that was set up inside the tabernacle.  The Levites would offer the sacrifices.  These were men of God.  These were men that were called of God, these were men that were sanctified and holy and yet the Scripture makes a very interesting comment.  It says they were the inheritance of Aaron.  The priesthood and the Levitical order were two different things.  The Levites, as we see them functioning, had great responsibilities, but to Aaron and his sons.  Aaron was distinct from his sons in that he alone could enter in to the holy of holies.  So, we begin to see the responsibilities and closeness to God, that the priesthood would function in all of the sacrifices that were taking place.  So, when Moses speaks here toward the Levites, he is saying, “You take too much upon yourselves.  You don’t realize the treasure and the gift—and this is what’s behind this so often—that’s been given to you.”

Isn’t it amazing that natural man is never satisfied.  Numbers 3:9 says, “And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.  And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office…”  We see the distinction that’s been made here.  “And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron…”  All authority comes from God and he sets the hierarchy.