The Rabble
By Don Vess
As I was reading through the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Exodus, I came upon a group of people who always seemed to be a source of unrest, discontentment, and complaining. Who were they?
Exodus 12:31-38 (NLT)
Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. (This was the night of the Passover when the death angel visited every home where the blood of the sacrificed lamb had not been applied to the doorpost and lintel (over the door) of the home. When the death angel saw the blood, he “passed over” the home, but if the blood wasn’t applied, the death angel took the firstborn male of both man and animals. Pharaoh’s family and all the families of Egypt were affected as death entered their homes.)
“Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the Lord as you have requested.
32 Take all your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.”
33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to leave the land as quickly as possible, for they thought, “We’ll all die!”
34 The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their shoulders.
35 And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold.
36 The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!
37 That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children.
38 A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great herds of livestock.
At first, it seemed that the more, the merrier. But these non-Israelites had no vested interest in the journey except that they were discontented opportunists who probably didn’t like their present circumstances. They were looking for wealth, power, or influence among the Israelites. They saw the blessing of God on the Israelites and wanted it for themselves—though they had not suffered the slavery and brutality of the Egyptian slave drivers as the Israelites had.
The Rabble: A Source of
Later on, the rabble proved to be a problem. They were the ones who were always
When they got within eyesight of the Promised Land, Israel had left Mount Sinai and had marched for three straight days through the wilderness. It was rugged terrain and slow progress, but the Lord was guiding them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Ark of the Covenant moved ahead of them to show them where to stop and rest.
But then we read in:
Numbers 11:1-15 (NLT)
1 Soon the people began to
2 Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped.
3 After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”) because fire from the Lord had burned among them there.
4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain.
“Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed.
5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.
6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”
(Manna means, “What is it?”)
10 Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.
Nothing frustrates a leader more than when people start murmuring and complaining.
Moses’ Frustration
11 And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people?
12 Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors?
13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
14 I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!
15 If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”
The Modern-Day Rabble
Every week, dozens of ministers quit the ministry—often because of lost morale caused by murmuring and complaining from the rabble.
Who are they? They are often the ones who:
• Don’t
• Don’t
• Barely show up—and when they do, they
•
•
God’s Response
Numbers 11:16-34 (NLT) tells us how God handled the situation. He commanded Moses to appoint seventy elders to help him carry the burden. Then God sent an overwhelming amount of quail to the Israelites, but in their greed, they brought judgment upon themselves.
Murmuring and complaining can destroy many things:
• Sports teams, where players complain about their roles, their coach, or their teammates
• Marriages, where spouses constantly criticize each other
• Nations, where division and unrest create deep schisms in society
A Call to Contentment and Commitment
Paul gives clear instructions to the church in Philippi:
Philippians 2:12-15 (NLT)
“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with reverence and fear.
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to do what pleases Him.
14 DO EVERYTHING WITHOUT COMPLAINING OR ARGUING,
15 So that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God (not like the Rabble—emphasis mine), shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”
Paul also warns the church in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 10:1-10 (NLT)
(He reminds them how the Israelites fell into sin and were judged by God, including the Rabble who constantly grumbled.)
Final Encouragement
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)
“…my dear brothers and sisters, be strong, immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”
Galatians 6:9 (AMP)
“…let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time, at the appointed season, we shall reap, IF we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”
Are You “All In”?
The Rabble were not truly committed—they were just tagging along. Are you fully committed to Christ? Or are there areas of your life that you have not surrendered to Him?
Today is a great day to make that solid commitment.
Hang in there—We’re almost home! Just don’t get caught up with the Rabble!