Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why are you murmuring within me?
Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,
the salvation of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:12 [11]
Hiding from the Past? This is such a beautiful psalm by the sons of Korah — one of eleven psalms written by them. Does that name sound familiar? Korah? As in the Korah who was swallowed up by the earth when he tried to stage an uprising against Moses? Yes, that’s the one.
The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with all their households, all of Korah’s people [the 250 people in his gang] and all their possessions. (Numbers 16:32, TLV)
Korah was the grandson of Kohath, and great grandson of Levi. He was of the priestly lineage but ran with a bunch of malcontents and rebelled against Moses and Aaron. When GOD cracked open the ground, Korah and his gang of 250 were consumed with fire (Numbers 16).
Fortunately, Korah’s sons were spared, and apparently, learned well from their father’s sins. They were guardians and gatekeepers of the tabernacle (1 Chronicles 6:31-38).
Fast-forward to the time of King David, these descendants of Korah were known for their loyalty to the king and as fierce warriors. Yet, like David, they were talented in the gifts of music and lyrics. The prophet Samuel was from the line of Korah.
Truly the stain of Korah’s insurrection was not carried for long. Still, their ancestor’s name represented great shame.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why are you murmuring within me?
Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,
for the salvation of His presence. (vs. 6, TLV)
This verse is amazing: “for I will yet praise Him, for the salvation of His presence.” The same presence that wiped out their ancestor, became the sons of Korah’s salvation.
In today’s verse, one of those sons says: “for I will yet praise Him, the salvation of my countenance and my God.” Because of the salvation of GOD’s presence in the sons’ lives, their countenance has changed.
Could these sons, who took ownership of their identity as descendants of Korah, still have experienced ridicule and mistrust by association? Maybe. Ancestry within the Jewish culture is very important — think of all the “begats” in the Bible. They could have said they were sons of Levi or Kohath, but they held on to Korah’s name.
While Korah paid his own penalty with GOD’s judgment, GOD was merciful and gave favor to his sons.
Many of us carry the stain of our families’ sins. Or perhaps our own pasts were stained with sin we try to hide. Our Heavenly Father is all about redemption. He is slow to anger and rich in love and mercy (Joel 2:13). We may have repercussions for the sins of the past, but our Father can redeem even that for His glory and our growth.
Let’s learn from the sons of Korah who didn’t hide from the past but worked diligently with the LORD to overcome and excel in their present and future. They could have clouded their future with the sins of the past, but, with the LORD’s help, rose above it. Not by murmuring in their souls about how unfair it was.
Redemption from the past is possible and a part of the character of GOD. Normally, that proof lands on Yeshua — Jesus. Nevertheless, long before the Word became flesh (John 1:14), our Father sought for those whose hearts were turned to Him. The sons of Korah are a beautiful tribute to that salvation and a reminder of GOD’s great love and restoration. Lessons for us all.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year!
