Dathan

The title of today's sermon is? Dathan! Dathan! Which is a unique personality in the Old Testament, a very unique personality, one that a lot of people may not quite understand. Maybe some of you have never heard of him. Most here would know the story of Gora and his rebellion as he was a Levite, and he and his crew, or a crew of Levites, relatives, all decided at one time that Moses and Aaron didn't know what they were doing. They were inept at leadership, and so we'll get to read and touch on that a little bit here today. But I think you'll find the story that involves Dathan, involves Gora, and we'll look at that example because Dathan is an example for each and every one of us, and especially for the Church. Dathan was not a Levite. Dathan was from the tribe of Reuben, but Dathan wanted to put himself in the middle of everything and wanted to tell everybody how to do things. Okay? Have you ever met any person like that? Maybe you live with a person like that. Maybe you are that person. Don't know. That's not my job today. But Dathan gives us something seriously to look at. So if you can remember, and I bring this out because people have Bible studies. I'm glad Frank's having one. Various people have one. And Bible studies, and some join on Wednesday nights. Some join us on Thursday. We would like a Bible study. I would like to suggest to you an incredible Bible study you can do. It will probably take three or four nights for the Bible study, but you will find it to be a very interesting one, impactful, and very helpful to you. How many of you remember watching the movie through the years, The Ten Commandments? Remember the Charleston Heston? Let's see. Is everybody here seen it? Almost everybody has seen that movie. It comes on every year around Easter, Passover. They show it on TV. It's usually on a Sunday night. You can see it, and it's almost four hours long on television. It's something like three and a half hours long if you just take it. But you can find it on YouTube. You can find it on Netflix. You can find it just about anywhere there. I suggest this Bible study because when you go back and you...

let me tell you, if you read Exodus, and you read Exodus, Leviticus, numbers, you don't really even have to go in Deuteronomy that much. Deuteronomy was almost post... was the last month that they were in the wilderness. But you will find interesting stories that don't line up with the movie.

And yet that movie is known by everyone, and I've had people in the church, well isn't that what... no. You will find so many issues and problems with that movie compared to the real word of God. That you'll be shocked at some of the things that they've done. Now, there is license with any movie. There's a license they have to take as they create characters, as they create people. But some of the blatant misinterpretation or just wrong conjecture they make will help you to help people later. Because you too will have people go, oh yeah, I saw that movie. Yes, didn't that happen?

By Cecil B. DeMille's, not by God. So it makes a very interesting three or four night Bible study. As you can watch, you can read the parts, watch the movie, then go back and take it apart and go, that's not in Scripture. That's not in Scripture. Because we are too, as Christ told us and He told the adversary, what? You shall not live by bread alone, but by every word. Every word from God. So I'm not just down on the movie, the Ten Commandments. It's just, wow, they could have made it just as interesting by telling the truth most of the time. But one of the characters that they did bring out, everybody remembers Charleston Hessen, right? Who else do you remember? What made your character? Yes, Frank? Edward G. Robinson. Almost stole the show from Yule Brainer, didn't he? Edward G. Robinson, famous actor, made, I don't know how many movies, and usually wasn't the good guy, and a few. So in the Ten Commandments, Edward G. Robinson was Dathan. He was Reuben. And you see him all through causing problems all through the movie, which you don't really get as much to what we'll touch on today. But he was a famous character that you will not forget in the Bible or on the TV screen. I'd like to right now play, if you will, about a two-minute, what is it, two-minute, two-minute, ten-second clip. As you will get to see their portrayal of this Dathan character, as he begins to overshadow Aaron as the leader of the Israelites after Moses comes down from the mountain with Joshua. So if you'll play that scene.

So that's just a short scene that they did, which doesn't really line up with scripture when it happened or what happened there. But I did enjoy the portrayal of Aaron. They made me do it. They made me do it. I remember growing up, did something with my sister, and we got in trouble, and she told my parents, he made me do it. He made me do it. But I want to look now. After we have seen that, I'd like you to go with me, and I'll go from the New Living Translation since it helps tell the story here.

And you'll bear with me because I'm going to read a big part of the chapter. In Deuteronomy chapter 16. Deuteronomy chapter 16. Nope, excuse me, numbers. Got the wrong one. Turn the wrong page. Okay, numbers, yes. That just really wasn't the story. Numbers chapter 16. The heading of my page, it says, Cora's Rebellion. And that's what it's focused on. But I don't want you to miss out on the name Dathan, as we will look at a little bit later. Okay, chapter 16 verse 1. Read this. It's up behind me here. One day Cora, son of Izar, the descendant of Kohath, son of Levi, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliyev, and on the son of Pelath from the tribe of Reuben.

They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly. They united against Moses and Aaron and said, You have gone too far. The whole community of 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 the rest of the Lord's people? When Moses heard what they were saying, he fell down on his face. Then he said to Cora and his followers, Tomorrow morning the Lord will show us who belongs to him and who is holy. The Lord will allow only those whom He selects to enter His presence.

Cora, you and all your followers must prepare your incense burners. Light fires in them tomorrow and burn incense before the Lord. Then we will see whom the Lord chooses as His holy one. You Levites are the ones who have gone too far. Then Moses spoke again to Cora, Now listen, you Levites. They are the same insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from all the community of Israel to be near Him so that you can serve in the Lord's tabernacle. And stand before the people to minister to them. Cora, He has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites. Are you now demanding the priesthood as well?

The Lord is the one you and your followers are really revolting against. For who is Aaron that you are complaining about Him? Then Moses summoned Dathan, Edward G. Robinson. Dathan and Abram, the sons of Elab, but they replied, we refuse to come before you. Isn't it enough that you brought us out of Egypt a land flowing with milk and honey? To kill us here in the wilderness that you now treat us like your subjects.

What's more, you haven't brought us into the land flowing with milk and honey. You haven't given us a new homeland with fields and vineyards. Are you trying to fool these men? We will not come. So as you can remember your scripture, you'll remember that this is a saying that Moses had been hearing from the people at various times. Time and time again, he was having to hear these words about who made you.

You brought us out here to die. Time and time again. So who do you think created those words? Who do you think? Because you didn't see Korah saying that as much as it was Dathan. Dathan had his opinion, and he didn't mind letting everybody know when somebody wasn't doing something the way they should be doing it, or as he perceived. And so that's why I bring Dathan here. Verse 15, Then Moses became angry and said to the Lord, Do not accept their grain offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, and I have never heard a single one of them.

And Moses said to Korah, You and all your followers must come here tomorrow and present yourselves before the Lord. Aaron will also be here. You and each of your 250 followers must prepare an incense burner and put incense in it so that you can all present them before the Lord. Aaron will also bring his incense burner. So he's saying, Bring your 250 men, bring up here. We're going to see. Let God make the choice. So each of these men prepared an incense burner, lit the fire, and placed incense on it.

Then they all stood at the entrance of the tabernacle with Aaron and Moses. Talk about a showdown at the old corral. Well, this was going to be it.

Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire community against Moses and Aaron, and they all gathered at the tabernacle entrance. Can you imagine? I mean, picture this. You had the tabernacle? They had stirred up everybody? It says all the community, all the people. We could be talking about two million people here. Can you imagine that crowd?

Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to the whole community. And the Lord said to Moses, and Aaron, Get away from all these people, so that I may instantly destroy them. All the people? Are we talking about two million people here?

It's not out of the question, is it? Was it just leaders? Well, you can see, but Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground. Oh, God! They pleaded. You are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Must you be angry with all the people when only one man sins? So would you kill all these people for one man? Was it just Korah? But it wasn't just Korah. Would you kill all these people because of Nathan and Abiram? And the Lord said to Moses, Then tell all the people, Get away from the tents of who? Korah, Nathan, and Abiram. So Moses got up and rushed over to the tents of Nathan and Abiram, followed by the elders of Israel. Quick! He told the people, Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don't touch anything that belongs to them if you do you will be destroyed for their sins. So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Nathan, and Abiram. Then Nathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents. You can imagine how they stood. Okay, we're about to see. People are about to see how great we are.

Together with their wives and children and little ones, Moses said, This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do these things that I have done. For I have not done them on my own. If these men die a natural death, or if nothing unusual happens then, the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord does something entirely new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all their belongings, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have shown contempt for the Lord. He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men along with their household, all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. So they went down into the grave along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel. And then the next verse, it tells what happened to the two million people that were standing there watching. It says, all the people around them fled when they heard their screams. The earth was swallowed up, too.

So there you kind of have this story that happens in Numbers 16. But you can see that a lot of the stuff, the stories that went before it, as it showed in the movie, this happened right when he brought the commandments down. That's not true. That's not even close. It's not even close. This didn't happen until after the scouts had gone into Cana and looked. And only two came out of the good report. So we're talking a long time after this. But this did happen. The earth opened up and it swallowed them. Now, I want to bring this out if you'll join me in Deuteronomy 11. Deuteronomy 11, I found this to be interesting, about Dathan, our character there. I want to read it from the New King James version, which you have there. It says, Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. I think there's more to it than that. No, I'm sorry, that's 16 and I need verse 6. I knew something wasn't right.

Deuteronomy 6. Deuteronomy 11 verse 6. I may have given you that wrong, did I, Jeff? All right. It wasn't your fault, was it? Good. It's mine. I'll take it. My bad. When I send it to you, I should have double-checked it. Deuteronomy 11 verse 6. Breaking the thought here, and he and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Elab, the sons of Reuben, how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, their households, their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession in the midst of Israel. Now, I think you'll find that interesting that this is what he covered in Deuteronomy about that event. Korah was left out of this story right here, because it focused on Dathan. Dathan was a cause. That's why he's very much remembered in that time. He's even talked about in Psalm 106. If you have that, Psalm 106. And when they envied Moses in the camp and Aaron the saint of the Lord, the earth opened up and swallowed, who? Dathan! Dathan! So we can see from this scripture by the mouth of two or three witnesses, it's a matter established. Well, guess what? He's just establishing right here. Dathan was not a good person. Dathan was a troublemaker. Dathan stirred it up. Dathan is an example of what or whom not to be, isn't he? So I want to look, because Dathan loved to do things that people love to do today. And that's the lesson we can get from the Bible. It gives us lessons that for people who we want to follow, the Bible gives us lessons of people who we don't need to follow. And it shows us usually a clear line of demarcation between what we should do and what we shouldn't do. And that's the purpose of my sermon today, in the little time I have left, because I wanted you to understand Dathan will forever be remembered, not just Edward G. Robinson, who I think probably played him closer than anybody could have, because automatically you didn't like the guy. But he had people who obviously listened to him. So even though he said things, he said wrong things, he also had to have said some things that they were interested in hearing.

Otherwise you don't get a following. It's like Satan doesn't lie all the time, does he? He has a little truth in there. Well, we have to look at this Dathan. And so I wanted to bring this up because there is a scripture, and you don't have this. I didn't give you this, but I'd like you to turn, if you have your Bible, 2 Timothy 3. People who remember 2 Timothy 3 as a very empowering look at the last days. 2 Timothy 3. 3 Timothy 3, verse 1, it says, But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedience to parents, unthankful, unloving, unforgiving. And then, what's the next word? Slanders. Slanders. People who slander other people. We see it in politics all the time, don't we? You can't turn out so well. He's hardly ever watching the news anymore because you can't get anybody on there to just say, well, you know, I think some people look at, no, you're wrong. I'm right. This guy, he doesn't care about people. He's wanted to kill people. These people, oh, they do want to give money away. I mean, you can't. There's no balance. And we have to look at slandering people. I've slandered people before and had to apologize. Most of the time I slandered them because somebody told me something about it and I repeated it. And guess what? It wasn't true. I had to come back and apologize to the people. So this is a big topic even for a small church. It's a topic for everyone. It's a topic to help us be more like Christ, balanced to the max, but it helps us to help other people as we continue to have this church and grow because I didn't come here to have a church to that God couldn't bring people to. God couldn't bring people in. I came here to help raise up a church that God brings the people. And I think you've heard that from the very beginning. And so we wanted to do that. We had to follow God and we have to follow His word. And the people who really want to follow God will have a place. A hospital for the spiritual services. And a hospital for the spiritual sick. Sick. Spiritually sick. That's what we're here for. That's what the Word of God is here for. So as I looked at that with Timothy, that's how it's going to be at the end time. Slanders.

So if this church continues to grow till the end time, are you prepared for slanders to come into church? Are you prepared for that? Well, you know when it happens. This is a prediction.

So how do we defend against that? How do we know what slander and what's not? That's why you can't hardly watch the news because they are listening to reporters or anything else anymore because everybody has their own slant on it. And instead of saying, well, that's the way I see it. No, this is the way it is. So I think one of the most interesting parts of the Bible is James as he was writing. And James chapter 3, it's interesting. You look at James 3 all through chapter 3 of James, and he's talking about this thing. And guess what? I haven't checked every one of you, but I believe you'll have one. Okay. And James says it's scary.

Compares it to a fire.

James spends, if you look at all five chapters, he spends a few verses in every chapter almost talking about the tongue or the results of the tongue. But chapter 3, he really lays it down because obviously he was the head pastor at the Jerusalem church. He obviously had the problem, and he saw there was a problem. And this is his only writing as a half-brother of Christ, and he wanted to make sure that we had this to see how important it is for not only the church but how you live. People who lost their jobs for saying the wrong thing, for slandering people. People who have been divorced over people saying something that wasn't true.

Now, am I bringing this out because, oh, well, look, I've got the Lion Church of God in Vero Beach. No, not at all. No, but I think for us to grow and be spiritually strong and to be the best we can be, we need to be even above reproach. So we understand when somebody comes to slander, when somebody wants to say something. I've been slandered as a minister many times. Mary can tell you. She gets more upset. She'll say, do you see what they said about you? Did you see what they wrote? I'm gone. Okay. She said, well, I'm your wife. Don't you expect me to defend you? I don't care. I mean, that's nice as she does, but I mean, I, as long as I'm trying to do and I stick to this word, we're not going to have any problems. And if I do something wrong, I don't preach from this Bible. If I teach you something that's outside that's wrong here, it won't be slander. It'll be the truth. You're speaking and you should. You should bring it to me first and talk about it because we don't need that in church, especially from a pastor. I bring that out, not because I expect anything that way, but I just, I just think we need, we have a good church here. We have a foundation of a wonderful church that God can bring people in.

Let's go look at this, see if we can fine tune ourselves, because there's two things, gossip and murmuring. They're real close and they're they're interchanged in the Bible in different translations. Gospel, gossip, and murmuring. They're close. I think Nathan did both and he did them well. And that's the example for us, so that we can continue to to be strong and not have that a part of our lives. Like you go with me as the Bible teaches us, oh well, as it does teaches us everything we need to know. I'd like you to go with me to Proverbs. I'll be reading from the New Living Translation as we'll be up here. Proverbs 11 and verse 13, this is Solomon giving us these incredible words and he said, a gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence or keep a secret even. Haven't I seen that? I've seen that in the ministry where somebody who's told something in confidence and they told it. I've known people who told the minister's wife thinking it was in confidence and guess what? She spread it.

So these things are real. These are real problems that you want people to trust you. You want a home, that spiritual hospital that we're trying to, you want something where people can come in and go, wow, I really feel at home there. I really feel loved. You don't feel very loved if people are, did you hear whatever? Did you hear? Did you hear? That's not what we do because James even brought out the point in chapter five somewhere about being able to confess our sins to each other. That had me, oh, I got these sins, I need to confess this week. Oh, no. But it is saying that there should be such a brotherhood, such a sisterhood in the church that when we are dealing with things, we can go to people and talk to them about it and then go, you know, and you can say, hey, I've had the same thing too. This is what I'm doing. This is what a church is about. This is what we have to be about. Now let's go over to Proverbs 16. A couple pages over in my book, Proverbs 16 verse 24, telling these same words. And this is what we need. This is what I need. I'm going to say, oh, you. Jeff Newell, I'm talking to you. No, that's not what we do. That's the wrong thing. No, it's just like kind words are like honey. You got some kind words for people? You know, as many weeks people come into the church, many savas, because, boy, they've been beat up by a world with unkind words all week. Right, Bill?

Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. And then he goes down in verse 28, says, a troublemaker plants seeds of strife, David, and says gossip separates the best of friends. Boy, is that ever a true statement.

Many of us can attest to that. Maybe somebody's gossip about us, and maybe a best friend did. And you feel like, man, I really can't ever trust that person again. But just think about it. If you had to tell something to Christ and you said, really, I want to talk to you confidentially, would you fear Christ is going to go, Peter, John, James, come over here. Let me tell you what this guy. Let me tell you what this is. You know what he did? No. It's not what we need to do.

Let's go back to Leviticus. Go back to Leviticus, where they had this same issue that came up in God. God puts it so clearly that you can't get around it in the New Living Translation in Leviticus 19 and verse 16. Leviticus 19 and 16. What? Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. He even says, do not stand by idly when your neighbor's life is threatened. Wow, what does the two have to do with each other?

It's because we need to know, even our neighbors need to know, we're not gossip. We're not slanders. We're there for them, not against them. One translation says, do not spread slanderous gossip among your family.

You talk about something that tears your family apart, that can really do it. I've got some relatives on my side that won't even talk to the other, her brothers and sisters and cousins or whatever, because somebody said something and they repeated it and then it went on to where they want no part of it. That's not who we are.

This should be a church, where as we grow together, there's nothing we couldn't talk to each other about.

Let's go to the book of Psalms. Crazy! Here is the book of Psalms. This is this incredible Psalm 19. I'm about to give you three Psalms from an expert on someone who was slandered. This was David, and he was probably as slandered as any other person, and he knew it, and he was trying to write this to help not only his sons, his daughter, but all of the ones that came along. Psalm 19 and verse 14 in the New Living Translation. He's saying, "...May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you..." Who? My rock! He's talking to God. Can we be like him and hope that words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts are something that God says, what a beautiful child I have. What a beautiful child! To the point that God says, man, I wonder when they're going to talk to me again. I'd love to hear that. I think he'd love to hear from David.

Even with David's issues and problems. And one thing, we have 70 years, almost 70 years, probably 60, 55, 60 years of David's life laid out before us from the time he was a shepherd boy all the way to the end. And I wouldn't want 55 of my years laid out before the entire world written down words. If I did, I'd want a real good editor. Let's take out that night standing on top of my eye when I looked over and saw this naked woman. Let's take that one out.

Oh, wait a minute. When I did this, when I did that, when I numbered it, let's take that. But it's not. That's the beauty of the of the Word of God. It's heroes have blemishes.

And it just shows us. We may have blemishes, too. But it's about what's on here. What comes out of here and what's in here. That's what God really cares about. And you can kind of see from from what we're told about Dathan. You know what came out of here, and you know what came out of here.

God doesn't have a need for that. But God desires what he said here. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you. Now let's go over and follow through with this with Psalm 34. Psalm 34. David's talking again. Psalm 34 verse 13. Then keeping your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. We all tell lies, don't we? So we may not want we may not even know there was it. I was with somebody this week. And they told me something. And I said, No, that's not really true. And he goes, That's what I was told. He was just repeating what somebody else has said. So I said, You know, I got in trouble with that from the pulpit before, because I said what I had read from someone that written me or told me. And it was a lie. I lied not knowing it was a lie, but guess what? I still lie. There's a way to protect that. There's a way to protect yourself from that. Make sure you know or say somebody said blanket statements sometimes get us get us in trouble. Psalm 41. Psalm 41 as I finish up with David's here. Psalm 41. Let me give verses 5 through 7 because David is pouring out and has this put in a song, Psalm as they call it, but a song. And it really shows his feelings as a writer, composer, singer, musician, and a man after God's own heart. So read this from the New Living Translation. Verse 5, But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. Wouldn't you hate that? Or maybe you already go through that. Some of us do, don't we?

How soon will he die and be forgotten? They ask. This is believed that this one was written when David was from his belief from age 65 to 70. He was mostly bedridden and they thought he was going to die many times. And so here he had time, they believe, to have these words transcribed. And so I'm sure he's going to die. He's going to die at night. He's going to die. Or he's going to die next week. You know, I wonder who gets to be king next. Who's he going to put? Because you know that was a story, don't you, if you know the Bible. They're already talking about this. How soon will he die and be forgotten? They visit me as if they were friends, but all the while they gather. What's the word? Gossip. Gossip.

God's getting him. You see, God made him sick because all the stuff he did, bad stuff. He's supposed to be all that. But then they come in and say, oh, King David, King David, so good to see you still alive, right? Human nature has not changed. It's the same today as it was 3,000 years ago with David. And when they leave, they spread it everywhere. All who hate me whisper about me imagining the worse. Verse 8, he says, he has some fatal disease. He will never get out of that bed.

I gave you that one, but I did. I mean, imagine that.

President, we have some really good instruction for us about how to live, how to conduct ourselves. I turn to more scriptures. If I can, let's go to New Testament, 1 Peter. 1 Peter, 1 Peter 3, 1 Peter 3. Let's go to 10, 10 through 12. So for the scripture, say, if you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are what? Open. Open to their prayers. And you know, when I pray, I sure want his ears open to me. I don't just pray because, oops, I've got to pray. I'm praying because I want him to help people.

You and Maynard.

You know, people up here that have issues. Your eye, I thought you would come in, and I wouldn't even be able to see you. You'd be so wrapped up.

So let's turn to one last scripture. I can't leave Christ out of this because Christ was all about this, and he gave us some of the best instruction. That's why I left it for the last scripture.

Now we need to pray for Connie and Mike. You betcha. You betcha. And we want him to be heard. I want God to hear.

God would love to see Connie back here as soon as possible.

Matthew 12, verse 36. And I tell you this, you must give an account on Judgment Day. You know, that's coming for all of us. Well, it says Judgment is now on the house of God, so we're being judged today. But others, everyone will stand before the seat of Christ. Judgment Day for every idle word you speak. Wait a minute. He said, I'm going to have to give an account for every idle word? What about the words of forethought? What about the words that they weren't idle words? I knew what I said. And it wasn't good. I got to give an account. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.

You know, the good part about it, if we have control of our tongue, we don't have to remember anything that we said wrong, do we?

We don't have anything to regret.

The only thing we have to ask ourselves every day, are we a Dathan?

I don't know that we have a Dathan in our church. I hope not. But you know the question I have to ask myself.

I, brethren, don't want to be your Dathan.