03/02/2023
A WARNING FOR THE GRUMBLERS IN THE CHURCH
Numbers 11:4;10 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, "who will give us meat to eat?" Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased.
When Israel was miraculously delivered from Egyptian bo***ge, they were not alone in their journey through the wilderness. There was a mixed multitude of people. There were Egyptians that fled with the Jews for no other reason than the fact that they saw the fierce wrath of God on display and thought it best to leave their homeland with Israel so that they could escape judgment. They were not God's people. There hearts had not been changed at all and they had no genuine love for God or for his people. It was purely a matter of self-preservation. They weighed the odds of survival between staying at home with Pharoah or leaving with Israel and concluded the odds were better with Israel so they packed their bags and left. God let them leave with Israel and they got to see the miraculous power of God's wrath and God's mercy in the wilderness. No matter how much evidence they were given of God's power and provision though they were never satisfied. The Bible says, "The rabble who were among them had greedy desires," (Numbers 11:4). They were constantly complaining and grumbling no matter how much God cared and provided for them and they provoked Israel to complain and grumble too. God provided water but the rabble wanted more than enough. God provided enough food, but for the rabble it wasn't the right kind and it wasn't enough. The rabble remembered the meat and the leeks and the fish and the onions they ate in Egypt and complained that the Lord did not provide the same in the wilderness. Israel complained for the same reason even though, in all likelihood, they never did enjoy the same diet as the citizens of that country since they were there as slaves and not citizens. They started weeping at the doorway of their tents at night and Moses was kept awake by the moaning and groaning of over 2 million people in the middle of the desert. God did not have compassion or sympathy for this kind of weeping and crying. Instead, the Bible says it made God furious. His wrath was kindled by their tears. If we are not careful, the church can invoke the same emotion from God by listening to and copying the grumbling of the tares that are always in its midst. There is a mixed multitude of people among the church just like there was in the desert. These men and women are called tares and they have been planted by the enemy. It doesn't matter how much they see God doing in the church they will always have something to complain about. In fact, the more God moves in power the louder their voices of opposition become. They will talk about the good old days that were had when another pastor was there or when a different group of people were doing much different work for the Lord than what is being done now. They will grumble against the direction that the church is going in. They will magnify every perceived problem and constantly warn that the church is headed in the wrong direction. It isn't Biblical enough they'll say or it's allowing the wrong people to serve or the music is too worldly, not theologically rich enough. They will say that the work of the Spirit is actually the work of the devil. They will never be happy until they have provoked the church to complain and whine and cry with them. If they are catered to and listened to they will invoke God's displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit. Jesus said not to uproot to the tares otherwise known as the rabble. He said to let them grow up together with us and in the judgment he himself will separate them from the church. We cannot let the rabble's influence to keep us from worshipping and obeying the Lord or from loving and enjoying one another. We have to be salt and light in their midst and be content with what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of the church. Once an attitude of bitterness and ungratefulness sprouts up in the church it is really hard to overcome. The wheat must choke out the tares instead of the tares choking out the wheat. This we will do if God permits. We must keep the faith, not grumble, and trust that God is moving and working in power in our midst and not be discouraged when the church moves through dry places. In the end God's blessings are sure to flow mighty and abundant among his people. The true church will walk on the water of his blessings. The rabble will simply drown.