Prejudice Is Rebellion Against God

There is a sin that is not often discussed, but it is at the root of so many other sins. That sin is rebellion. I loved the movie REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE staring James Dean. It traces the story of three teen characters and shows that the reason they rebelled was the poor parenting in the home. There are reasons we rebel against God and against those God places over us or sends to rebuke us.

We can see the reasons by studying and learning from people in the Bible who rebelled. Hebrews 3:15 says, “As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’ Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?” The most famous bunch of rebels were the Israelites as they followed Moses out of Egypt. 1 Corinthians 10:10-11 says of them, “And do not grumble, as some of them did— and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” Their physical reality is an analogy of our spiritual reality. Their story was written as a warning and example of what not to do.

Why did they rebel? One reason is prejudice. Aaron was Moses’ older brother and chosen by God to be high priest over Israel. Miriam was Moses’ older sister, who helped save him as a baby and who led all the Israelite women in a glorious victory dance after the Egyptians were totally drowned in the sea. They were people who God had inspired and who had done great things for God. But even godly people can rebel against Him when they give in to prejudice.

Numbers 12:1-3 says, “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. ‘Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?’ they asked. ‘Hasn’t he also spoken through us?’ And the LORD heard this. (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”

Moses was humble. They had no reason to rebel against him. The land of Cush, from which Cushites came, was Ethiopia. Ancient historians also record that Moses had at one point married a black woman from Ethiopia. Miriam and Aaron didn't say that was why they were talking against him, but the Bible tells us that was the real reason. They were prejudice against Moses’ black wife. Lesson: Never condemn someone's interracial marriage.

Prejudice is an ungodly thing. Why? Because God shows no favoritism. Acts 10:34-35 declares “Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” When you commit the ungodly act of prejudice, you bring consequences upon yourself.

We are told the rebellion of Aaron and Miriam is one example for us on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. Prejudice brings God's judgment. Numbers 12:4-5 says, “At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, 'Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you.' So the three of them came out. Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam.” Remember when you were called before your parents as a child because they found out about something you did? Remember the fear? Imagine standing before an angry God.

Prejudice will still bring God's judgment today. James 2:8-9 “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” If you show favoritism, you will stand before God and be convicted.

God took this sin personally. When they attacked Moses out of prejudice they attacked a man faithful in all God's house. They attacked God's spokesman. They attacked God's word. Numbers 12:6-8 says, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" Basically God says, "How dare you!"

When we reject God's spokesman due to our own ideas, prejudices, and philosophies, we reject God. Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 10:16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." To reject the apostle’s doctrine because you are prejudice against his chosen messenger is to reject Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:8 says, “Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” You are rejecting the Holy Spirit when you ignore the teaching of His Word via his messengers. How many people have not listened to God's Word due to prejudices against the speakers or some other foolish opinion based reason.

Not only will it bring judgment and rejection of God's word, prejudice rebellion brings an end to fellowship with God and his people. Numbers 12:9-12 says, “The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam— leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; and he said to Moses, "'Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.” Notice that because she wouldn't accept God’s spokesman nor Moses’ black wife, God wouldn't accept her. He left her.

When the early Christians showed prejudice, it hurt their fellowship. Galatians 2:11-14 says, “When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” Many follow the crowd under the peer pressure of prejudice into sinful rebellion against God.

But rebellious prejudice not only stops fellowship, it hinders progress. Numbers 12:13-16 says, “So Moses cried out to the LORD, 'O God, please heal her!' The LORD replied to Moses, 'If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.' So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back. After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.” How many times were people saved because Moses prayed for them? Notice: Miriam didn't like the black skinned woman so God gave Miriam skin as white as snow with leprosy. It's as if God had said, "Oh, you don't like black skin? Ok! You like white skin? Ok. I will give you very white skin!"

She had to wait 7 days before she could come back in. It's like God gave her a "time out." It held everyone up. How often is a church held up by one person’s rebellion? And how often is the cause prejudice against someone else?

It happened in the early church. Acts 6:1 says, “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” Their rapid growth came to a screeching halt because, as so often is the case, as the church grew to include different kinds of people, they began to fight with each other. Their prejudice against Grecian-Jews was exposed. But the Apostles quickly delegated power to those who were Grecian with Grecian names to make sure there was equality in the benevolence ministry.

After the prejudice problem was dealt with Acts 6:7 says, “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” They were headed for rebellion and division in the church, but when the prejudice was dealt with, the harmony allowed them all to move forward in evangelism again.

Are you rebelling against one of God's leaders because of your prejudice against another culture, race, or person? Are you destroying the fellowship and hindering progress by showing favoritism? Such things are rebellion and will bring the judgment of God.