Pastor’s Corner: “Foreign Rabble”
Numbers 11:4 (NLT) – 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.
The Bible calls them “foreign rabble,” “mixed multitude,” or even “riffraff,” depending on the translation you’re reading. So who were these people? It appears they weren’t Hebrews. They joined the Israelites as they left Egypt. They probably were impressed with the wonder-working God of Israel, and they, too, wanted to escape. Although they’d left Egypt, apparently Egypt never left them. And when they started to complain, the Israelites started to complain: “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. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” (Numbers 11:5–6 NLT).
The foreign rabble were a bad influence on God’s people. And I find it interesting that they hated manna. Even though it was bread from Heaven, sent by God, they said, “We hate it. We don’t want that manna in our lives.” This is why the apostle Paul warns, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV). The Message puts it this way: “Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark?”
Proverbs 13:20 (NLT) – 20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. Have you ever heard the old phrase, “If you want to soar with the eagles, you can’t run with the turkeys”? If you’re going to be wise, you’ve got to get some wise people in your life. Where do you want to be in 10 years? What kind of person do you want to be? If you tell me two things about you—the people you spend your time with and what you’re reading—then I can tell you where you’ll end up, without even knowing you. Those two factors will determine your future. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34 (NIV) – 33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Ephesians 5:7-8 (NLT) – 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!
I do not want you to misunderstand; God does want us to have non-believers as friends, with the intention that we can influence them for Jesus! He wants us to love everyone, show kindness to everyone, and help everyone we can. If you don’t have any non-Christian friends, you won’t be around anyone you can share the Good News with. But your best friends should be Christians. They should be strong believers who can influence us in Godly wisdom.
Here’s a real test of your spiritual life: Do you look forward to Bible study, or do you dread it? That’s an indication of where you are spiritually, because a hungry believer is a healthy believer. So think about who influences you. Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future. If you spend your time hanging around with people who don’t share your beliefs as a Christian, they can influence you and bring you down. Be very careful.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton