Numbers 16:3 "And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?"
When a witness is sworn in by a court of law, he promises to tell what? "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Is there really a difference between the truth and the whole truth? Between the truth and nothing but the truth? In a sense, oaths are made for liars! There is a difference in the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; and Numbers 16 illustrates the difference.
Korah was a rebel, and his rebellion spread to 252 other people, a rebellion which ultimately resulted in the death of nearly fifteen thousand people. There is a lesson to be learned about rebellion, leadership, and influence; but I want us to look at the statement by Korah and his gang in Numbers 16:3. They said, "All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. . . ." Were the children of Israel set apart (holy) to God? Yes, they were. Was the LORD among them? I think you could say yes. Was Moses in authority over them? Yes, he was. So was what Korah said true? No! He did not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!
The question you must ask yourself is, how much of the truth are you telling? I have a friend at church that bagged one of the biggest bucks on the Bill Rice Ranch last year. Impressed? Well, you might not be as impressed when I tell you that his Chevy truck did all the damage on Highway 96! It's true that he killed a buck; the whole truth makes the story different altogether! In the age of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, it is vital to keep the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but truth in mind, both in what you say and what you hear.
How much of the truth are you believing? It is a dangerous place to be when you only know half of the facts! Knowing that you have the whole truth instead of half the truth will help you in your daily life. If you hear that someone said something about you, be dead sure that you have the whole truth before confronting them. As a parent, be sure you have all the facts before the punishment is given out. Sometimes a sister is good at framing a brother! (It works the other way, as well.)
Be a person of honesty and integrity in what you say, and be careful about jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts. Is your life filled with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
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