Lord of holiness,
Korah and his company rose up,
their voices proud,
their hearts swollen with envy.
They said, “All the congregation is holy,
why do you exalt yourselves above us?”
But it was not Moses they opposed
it was You.
O God, guard me from the sin of Korah.
Save me from pride that cloaks itself in zeal,
from rebellion that disguises itself as equality.
Keep me from despising the places
You have not given me.
Teach me to love the role You assign,
to serve faithfully in the corner You entrust.
Better to stand at the door of Your house
than to grasp at altars that are not mine.
Moses fell on his face,
not in defensiveness,
but in humility before You.
Lord, give me that spirit
quick to fall down,
slow to rise up in anger,
ready to entrust my vindication to You.
Let my defense be Your presence,
my answer be Your power,
my refuge be Your name.
The earth opened its mouth
and swallowed the rebels whole.
Fire came out from You
and consumed those who dared to offer strange fire.
You are not mocked, O Lord.
Your holiness cannot be trifled with.
Let me tremble at this truth.
Let me not play games with sin.
Burn away every seed of rebellion in me
before it grows into ruin.
Yet even after judgment fell,
the people still grumbled.
Wrath broke out,
and a plague swept through the camp.
But Aaron ran with his censer,
standing between the dead and the living,
and the plague was stopped.
What a picture of Christ,
our great High Priest,
who intercedes with His own blood,
who stands between wrath and grace,
who halts death by His sacrifice.
Lord Jesus,
be my Mediator today.
When I deserve judgment,
stand between me and wrath.
When sin rises like a flood,
be the One who stills its tide.
When rebellion creeps in my heart,
be the One who intercedes.
Let me never forget that my life is spared
only because You stand in the gap.
So here I pray
humble my pride,
purify my worship,
sanctify my service.
Make me content in Your calling,
faithful in my portion,
and grateful for the Priest who saves me.
Let my life testify,
not to my greatness,
but to Your mercy.
In the name of Jesus,
my Priest,
my Mediator,
my Deliverer,
Amen.