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I’ve been reading through the Old Testament and asking God, as I do, to shape my thoughts and teach me how I should walk in this world. As believers, we desperately need to hear the voice of God in our lives and the world around us! He speaks to us from His Word.
God’s Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Ps. 119:105
I have to be honest, in the several times I have read through the Bible, I have found myself puzzled by some of the passages I read. In fact, I sometimes have had to check my feelings and assumptions at the door and ask God to give me His perspective on things I don’t understand. After all, He is God, and I am not. If I want to know Him, I can do so by humbly getting into His Word and allowing it to shape my life.
One thing that never gets old is reading a passage, and finding something I never saw before.
“How did I miss this?!”
Today’s blog post comes from just one of those occasions.
The book of Exodus records God’s miraculous plan to rescue the Israelites from the hand of the Egyptians who had been lording over them for over 400 years. Why? Because the Israelites were His chosen people. He desired to set them apart and make them Holy unto Himself. He called them His own, and He promised to “bring them up to a good and broad land.” Sign me up!
Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:7-10
This passage reminds me of the work of salvation in my life.
- God saw my affliction under the taskmasters of sin, death, and the enemy.
- He heard my cry and knew my sufferings – every.single.one.
- I was trapped and helpless.
- Slavery was all I knew.
- But, He delivered me.
- And He made me His own.
- He set me free from slavery to sin and death so that I could walk in freedom with Him.
I still can’t get over it.
Several weeks ago, while reading the passage in Exodus where Israel hurriedly gathers their things to leave, I came upon a part of the story I had never noticed before.
And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks, and herds. Exodus 12:37-38
Well, this is odd. Who are these people? God was rescuing His people, Israel, from slavery. I never thought about anyone else joining in the exodus. How had I missed this?
We are not told who comprised the mixed multitude. Many interpretations have used a negative connotation calling them “rabble.” But God sent Moses to rescue Israel to come apart and be His people. Is it a big deal that the mixed multitude/rabble went along? Just this morning, I feel as though I got my answer.
First, let’s recap:
I am now in the book of Numbers. To this point:
- The Israelites have seen God’s mighty power in parting the Red Sea and other wonderous miracles.
- They have received His commandments through Moses, and not without some serious hiccups.
- They have begun to understand what it meant to be God’s people. God desired to commune with them, but preparation/blood sacrifice had to be made. In Leviticus, I pondered all the requirements for blood sacrifice and offerings. They are very detailed and severe. These instructions were not given so that the Israelites could get an audience with an indifferent, aloof God. They were necessary for God in His perfection, to draw near to them and not only give them audience but to dwell with them.
- Them…and the rabble.
By this time, a healthy reverence and love for God should be developing among the people. However, we know that they often complained and questioned God. Could the rabble have influenced them?
Let’s look at Numbers 11, where the people complain that they are tired of mana and want meat.
Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh, that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” Numbers 11:4-6
I don’t have time or space here to list all the ways God had been faithful to Israel and revealed Himself as their loving and powerful Father. He was trustworthy. But…
Complaint arises from the rabble.
What a danger.
I got to thinking. Does rabble accompany me on my walk with the Lord?
How about you?
- Maybe it’s friendships with the ungoldy. (Let me say here. I have unsaved friends, and it is my hope and prayer that they come to know freedom in Christ. I think you know what I mean. When our lives look just like the world and our friendships reflect the world’s behaviors, when we celebrate what grieves God, perhaps we’ve become lost in the rabble.)
- Maybe it’s friends who “claim Christ” who continuously pull you down and away from Him.
- Maybe it’s a sinful habit you brought along on the journey.
- Maybe it’s an idol.
- Maybe it’s unrepentance.
What’s the rabble in your life?
So, back to the story. The rabble had this intense craving for meat. They stir up the Israelites, and the people complain loudly.
Their complaint angers both God and Moses. Later in the chapter, we see it gets so bad that Moses expresses His frustration with God and just wants to die.
Basically, he’s saying,
“Lord, these are not my people. They are Yours. I can’t give them what they want. I can’t handle this anymore. Just kill me and be done with it.”
I continued through the rest of the chapter, and the short of it is that God DOES give them meat. Quail. He gives them so much that Moses tells them that after just one month, they will be sick of it.
BUT as they are eating it, God’s anger is kindled, and He strikes many of them down with the quail still in their mouths.
I was confused. God heard their complaint and gave them meat, but His anger was kindled while they ate it, and He killed them. That didn’t seem very nice or loving. Friend, don’t miss this!
While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague. Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving. Numbers 11:33-34
Let’s look deeper so we don’t miss what’s going on here.
Back in Numbers 11:18-20, the Lord says,
Say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”
Do you see what I see?
God gives them what they want. But it is to their detriment.
Verse 20 says, “because you have rejected the Lord.”
While prayerfully pondering the verses, I saw there an opportunity for Israel to repent.
In verse 18 God says, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow.”
The King James Version says, “Consecrate yourselves AGAINST tomorrow.”
In other words, prepare yourselves by true repentance.
They had an opportunity RIGHT THERE to turn from their complaint against God that they had lifted along with the rabble for meat. Moses even warned that God would give them so much of it; it would come “out at your nostrils and become loathsome to you.”
Wouldn’t you think that would give them a moment of pause?
Wait. Do I want quail coming out my nostrils?
They did not take the opportunity to seek God’s mercy and repent.
But, influenced by the rabble, they continued on and partook of the provision from their complaint.
The psalmist wrote of this event in Psalm 106:15 – And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
Something profound struck me. When we entertain rabble on our journey, God may give us what we cry out for. Suffering may follow. But His purpose is always redemption for His children.
Look at what the passage said.
the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague. Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.
Now looking back, what does Numbers 11:4 say,
“The rabble that was among them had a strong craving.”
Who did God remove from the people of Israel? Who did He strike down?
“there they buried the people who had the craving.”
Now, I cannot say emphatically that ONLY the rabble craved the meat. The Israelites complained too. But I can say it was the rabble that was described as craving meat.
This story presents a powerful picture of sanctification for the believer.
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PINIMAGEI wonder how the journey might have looked differently had Israel not traveled with the rabble. If they were able to seek singlemindedness with God. If they had truly set themselves apart. They were not perfect and would sin, of course. But God Himself charged them, “For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall, therefore, be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:45. He was not counting on their strength to be holy. And boy is that a good thing! He was inviting their surrender. He would make them holy through His sanctifying work.
Let’s search our hearts. Let’s sever relationships with the rabble in our lives. God doesn’t want harm to come to His children. Instead, He promises His blessing and presence as we set ourselves apart to Him.
