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Today’s reading came from Numbers 16 and 17. It’s astounding how quickly the Israelites return to their grumbling ways—after experiencing God’s discipline. Not long after learning they would wander in the wilderness for 40 years (until everyone 20 and older had died), a man named Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron.

Korah didn’t like that the brothers held positions of leadership, so he rallied 250 prominent men from among the Israelites to oppose them. To Moses’s credit, he didn’t lose his cool. Instead, because of his trust in the Lord and/or perhaps his confidence that he was walking in obedience, he essentially said, “Let’s wait until morning and let God settle this.”

And in the morning, God did. The earth opened up and swallowed Korah and all his household—something never seen before. And a fire sprang up and consumed the 250 men who had joined in the rebellion.

But in a shocking turn, the very next day—the next day!—the people of Israel grumbled again. Numbers 16:41 says:

“But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the people of the Lord.’”

Isn’t that crazy? How ignorant does a person have to be not to recognize God’s leading? But as we often have to remind ourselves when reading about the Israelites—are we really all that different? Are we so perfect that we always do the right thing?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the areas where I fall short—those places where I keep stumbling. It’s so important to confess, repent, and receive the promise that He cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), to sincerely and continually repeat this process.

I’ve been asking myself lately: “Am I genuinely practicing this, or am I putting things on the back burner—presuming upon God’s mercy, knowing Christ’s sacrifice covers past, present, and future sin?” You don’t have to read far into 1 John to see that those who walk in habitual sin—those who abuse God’s grace—will have no part in His kingdom. These are sobering thoughts.

But even as the people walk in habitual rebellion against Moses, he continues to models godly leadership. He doesn’t retaliate or argue; he simply says, in essence, “Let’s see what God says in the morning.”

Instead of pitching a fit, Moses gathered a staff from each tribal leader, writing each name on the staff. He placed them in the tent of meeting and waited. By the next morning, Aaron’s staff—the one representing Moses’s family, the tribe of Levi—had not only sprouted, but it had also budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds.

Finally—at least for the moment—the people stopped complaining and were overwhelmed with fear. The text says they “were undone.”

Takeaway: Are you trusting in God’s mercy while still holding on to sin? Don’t let grace become an excuse to ignore repentance. Like Moses, keep returning to God for direction and let His Word confirm your steps. God speaks clearly—if we’re willing to wait on Him and listen.