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Unholy ambition is easy to spot in others. It can manifest itself in a lot of ways. The whole world is currently watching as one man’s unholy ambition has led him to direct his armed forces to invade the territory and lives of another sovereign nation. The resulting destruction is a reminder to all of us of just how evil our world can be, left to its own desires.
We continue to pray for the people and the leaders of Ukraine. We pray that the invasion would be stopped, and the selfish ambition of those who started this would be turned aside. We pray that the lives of all people on both sides of the conflict would be spared. We pray for godly wisdom to prevail and peace to return to the land.
But unholy ambition is not limited to what is currently underway in Europe. It comes in all sizes, shapes and behavior. Some may be much more subtle than what is currently playing out across the world stage, but it is selfish ambition, nonetheless.
Sadly, it is almost as old as time. It was selfish ambition that caused Adam and Eve to sin against God. It was selfish ambition that caused Cain to murder his brother. And so it has continued right up to this current day.
We read in the Bible that “all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”(1) Sin, disobedience and rebellion are not limited to any one people, any one nation, any one socio-economic stratum, and the like. None of us are exempt. And so it was as the people of Israel were being led by God Himself to the Promised Land. More than once it led to rebellion against Moses … and against God.
On one such occasion,(2) the revolt was led by a Levite by the name of Korah. He was the cousin of Moses and Aaron. Korah’s father, Izhar, was the brother of Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron. The tribe of Levi was subdivided into three family groups – the Gershonites, the Kohathites and the Merari. Moses, Aaron and Korah were all descendants of Kohath.
The Kohathites were given the responsibility by God of caring for and transporting the Ark of the Covenant, as well as the furnishings and utensils of the tabernacle. The ark represented the presence of God wherever the people went, and as a Kohathite, Korah was charged with bearing the ark. But Korah had a greater ambition than to be the bearer of the Lord’s covenant.
He determined that he and his sons had as much of a birthright to the priesthood as Aaron and his sons. Korah also resented the fact that his cousin Elzaphan had been chosen by Moses to be the leader of the Kohathite families. Korah was not content to serve as a “minister of the ark”; he demanded that he was entitled to a position of greater authority.
He confronted Moses and Aaron saying, “What right do you have to act as though you are greater than anyone else?”(3) What he was really saying was “What right do you have to act as though you are greater than me?” Do not be confused, Korah was not seeking position for others; he was seeking out his own interest to satisfy his own unholy ambition.
Korah enlisted Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, from the tribe of Reuben. He decided to lend credence to his complaint by enlisting others to join with him. Perhaps Dathan and Abiram were upset that the tribe of Judah had been given the place of honor in the camp, which they felt, as the firstborn of Jacob, belonged to their tribe. With the Kohathites and the Reubenites camped beside one another on the south side of the tabernacle, it didn’t take much for the pride and selfish ambition of these men to infect one another and escalate into this rebellion against Moses. Though they were already men of renown and respect in their own right, they wanted more – the greater position and prestige that their unholy ambition craved.
There is one quick side road worthy of mention before we go on with this account. Joining in this rebellion with those men at the outset was a man named On, the son of Peleth, who was also from the tribe of Reuben. It is interesting to note that he is only mentioned at the outset of the rebellion. In the later verses his name is omitted. Is it perhaps because On awoke to his sin of selfish ambition, repented and turned from his sin and left the rebellion? There can be no other explanation; no other reason would have stayed God’s hand from the delivery of His judgment upon him.
But coming back to the rest of the story, look at how Moses responded to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram – “he threw himself down with his face to the ground.”(4) He immediately humbled himself before God and before the people and agreed to let God decide what should be done. Do you see the contrast between the actions of Moses versus the other three men? Selfish ambition will always attempt to exalt itself, whereas surrendered ambition will always humble itself and submit to the will of the Father. Jesus said it best when He said, “The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”(5)
We read that the Lord punished Korah, Dathan, and Abiram by slaying them. But He didn’t stop there. He caused the earth to swallow them and all of their possessions. He punished them in a way that was without precedent so that there would be no doubt that they had come under the judgment of Almighty God. And it was a fitting judgment, for they, who had attempted to divide the congregation through selfish ambition, were, in fact, consumed by a divide in the land. God will not allow unholy ambition to stand defiantly before Him.
But as i write this, i can’t help but reflect on the times in my own life when i have acted out of unholy ambition. Oh, it may not have been as rebellious as Korah … or Putin … but it was selfish ambition, nonetheless. It was all about me seeking my own way, rejecting God’s plan, and turning away from Him. Gratefully, He pursued me. And He faithfully lived up to His word:
If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all wickedness.(6)
Unholy ambition will stand with the defiance of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; it will seek its own reward and it will lead to rebellion. Surrendered ambition will lay down before Jesus, surrendered and submitted to the Father; it will seek only Him and His will. Yes, God will humble those with unholy ambition, and He will exalt those whose ambition is to exalt Him.
i pray that the ambition of those who are leading this tragic attack on the Ukrainian people will be laid down. But i also pray that the ambition in my own life – and, if you will permit me, in your life – that would endeavor to seek its own way would also be laid down, And the only ambition we would truly seek is the ambition to exalt the only One who alone is worthy to be exalted.
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This post is adapted from The Wandering Years, chapter 22, entitled “Unholy Ambition” This second book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.
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(1) Romans 6:23 (NLT)
(2) Numbers 16:1-4, 23-24, 27, 32-34 (NLT)
One day Korah, son of Izhar, a descendant of Kohath son of Levi, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, from the tribe of Reuben. They incited a rebellion against Moses, involving 250 other prominent leaders, all members of the assembly. They went to Moses and Aaron and said, "You have gone too far! Everyone in Israel has been set apart by the LORD, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than anyone else among all these people of the LORD?" When Moses heard what they were saying, he threw himself down with his face to the ground. …And the LORD said to Moses, "Then tell all the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram." …So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram…. The earth opened up and swallowed the men, along with their households and the followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. So they went down alive into the grave, along with their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished. All of the people of Israel fled as they heard their screams, fearing that the earth would swallow them, too.
(3) Numbers 16:3 (NLT)
(4) Numbers 16:4 (NLT)
(5) Matthew 23:11-12 (NLT)
(6) 1 John 1:9 (NLT)
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