There once was a man named Earl who lived alone in a small house with a big backyard. Earl loved his yard. He raked it every weekend without fail. He also had one very specific talent: he could make the exact same stupid mistake every single time and somehow act surprised when it happened again.
It always started the same way. Earl would drag his old wooden rake out of the shed on Saturday morning. He’d spend an hour or two clearing leaves, muttering to himself about how satisfying it was. When he finished, he would look at the rake, think “I should put this away,” and then immediately get distracted by something like checking the mail, grabbing a soda from the fridge, or just standing there staring at nothing. The rake stayed exactly where he dropped it, right in the middle of the path between the shed and the back door.
A few hours later, Earl would need something from the shed. He’d walk outside, mind completely empty, and step directly onto the rake, causing the handle to fly up and whack him in the face with perfect, reliable accuracy.
The first weekend it happened, Earl rubbed his forehead and said, “From now on, the rake goes straight back in the shed. No excuses.”
The next Saturday, Earl followed the same routine. He got out the rake, moved the leaves, and then left the rake on the ground when he got distracted by a bird. Later, while carrying the trash out, he stepped on it again. This time it got him in the nose. He stood there bleeding slightly, staring at the rake like it had personally betrayed him.
“Alright,” he told the rake. “We’re done playing games.” He hung it on the hook inside the shed and even closed the door.
The following weekend, the leaves returned (because that’s what leaves do). Earl got the rake out again. He raked. He finished. His phone rang. He answered it, walked inside while still talking, and left the rake lying in its usual spot like an old friend waiting for him.
Later that afternoon, he went to move the garden hose and got whacked right in the forehead. It was the same spot as the first time.
Inside his house, Earl would sit at the kitchen table with a bag of frozen peas pressed to his face, making the same speech he always made: “I don’t know how this keeps happening. I’m a grown man. I’m going to start putting it away the second I’m done. I mean it this time.”
And he would mean it, for about forty-five minutes. Then Sunday would come and go. Monday through Friday would pass. The leaves would gather again. And on the next Saturday morning, Earl would open the shed, pull out the rake, and the whole stupid cycle would begin once more.
People make mistakes. That is understandable. What is not understandable is making the same mistake over and over again. We should learn from our mistakes.
The 16th chapter of Numbers contains an astounding account of the Israelites completely failing to learn from their failure to trust Yahweh. This should cause us to examine whether we do the same thing in our lives today.
The first half of Numbers 16 tells us that Korah, Dathan, and Abiram gathered 250 leaders to launch a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Moses ordered Korah and the other rebels to bring firepans with incense on them so that Yahweh could demonstrate whom He had chosen to lead Israel.
Num. 16:23 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num. 16:24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”
Num. 16:25 ¶ Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him,
Num. 16:26 and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Turn aside now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, lest you be swept away in all their sin.”
Num. 16:27 So they got back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; but Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents, along with their wives and their sons and their little ones.
Num. 16:28 And Moses said, “By this you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not from my heart.
Moses declared that Yahweh was about to perform a sign to prove whom he had chosen.
Num. 16:29 If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then Yahweh has not sent me.
Num. 16:30 But if Yahweh creates an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they go down to Sheol alive, then you will know that these men have spurned Yahweh.”
This was an effective sign. The ground does not normally open up and swallow people. Thus, if the ground did this, then that would be proof that Yahweh had acted and caused the ground to swallow those who were opposed to Yahweh.
Num. 16:31 ¶ And it happened that as he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;
Num. 16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.
Num. 16:33 So they and all that belonged to them went down to Sheol alive; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
Num. 16:34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
Don’t miss the words “fled” and “outcry”. Don’t miss the fear the Israelites felt. Watching the ground swallow Korah and the other rebels was tangible proof that Yahweh had made a choice.
Num. 16:35 Fire also came forth from Yahweh and consumed the 250 men who were bringing near the incense.
The fire coming forth from Yahweh was also a tangible sign that Yahweh had made a choice.
Num. 16:36 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num. 16:37 “Say to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he shall take up the censers out of the midst of the blaze, and you scatter the burning coals abroad; for they are holy.
Num. 16:38 As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, make them into hammered sheets for a plating of the altar, since they brought them near before Yahweh, and they are holy; and they shall be for a sign to the sons of Israel.”
Num. 16:39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which the men who were burned had brought near, and they hammered them out as a plating for the altar,
Num. 16:40 as a memorial to the sons of Israel that no outsider who is not of the seed of Aaron should come near to burn incense before Yahweh; so that he will not become like Korah and his congregation—just as Yahweh had spoken to him by the hand of Moses.
Yahweh made clear that only the seed of Aaron could come near Yahweh to burn incense.
Num. 16:41 ¶ But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the people of Yahweh.”
Look at the words “the next day”. This is astounding. One day, the Israelites watch as Yahweh opens up the ground and swallows men who were opposed to Moses and Aaron. However, the next day the congregation accuses Moses and Aaron of being at fault. This is a great example of failing to learn and making the same mistake over and over again.
Num. 16:42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of Yahweh appeared.
Num. 16:43 Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting,
Num. 16:44 and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num. 16:45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces.
Num. 16:46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from Yahweh, the plague has begun!”
Num. 16:47 Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
Num. 16:48 And he took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked.
Num. 16:49 But those who died by the plague were 14,700, besides those who died on account of Korah.
Num. 16:50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been checked.
It is normal for humans to make mistakes. There are times we will fail to obey Yahweh. However, we should learn from our mistakes. The sad fact about the Israelites in the wilderness is that they kept rebelling against Yahweh over and over again, even though He performed sign after sign to prove His power and His ability to provide for and protect the Israelites.
It is easy to criticize Israel, but we should ask if we make the same mistake over and over again. God promised to supply all our needs. Do we believe Him? Or do we spend our days mired in fear and worry?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”