A Mixed Multitude (Ex. 12:37-38)

4/27/2008 7:37 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time           Focus:  A Mixed Multitude

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Exodus 12:37-38

            Message of the verses:  “37 ¶  Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children.  38  A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.”

            In verse thirty-seven the Exodus begins and it starts from Rameses and the first stop is Succoth, and there are about 600,000 men who began this journey.  This does not include the women and the children, so the total must have been close to two million people who were leaving Egypt along with the flocks and herds.  They were leaving on foot and so this must have been quite a parade of people and animals that were leaving Egypt.

            I want to focus in on a phrase in verse thirty-eight, “A mixed multitude also went up with them.”  Mixed multitude is two words in the Hebrew and the word for mixed can mean a mixture of people.  Dr. Wiersbe points out, and it is also in the cross reference of the OLB notes that these words are translated as one work in Numbers 11:4 and in the NASB the word is translated as “rabble.”  “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?”  I guess you could say that there was trouble traveling along with the son’s of Israel, and that trouble was in the form of the “mixed multitude,” or the “rabble.” 

            Unfortunately there are these “rabble” throughout the Scriptures, and they were present when Jesus was on the earth, when Paul was traveling and preaching the Gospel, and they are still around today causing trouble for the “true believers.”  In John’s Gospel chapter six it says, “60 ¶  Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?"

61    But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble?  62  "What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?  63  "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.  64  "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.  65  And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."  66  As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.  67  So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"  68  Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.  69  "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."  70  Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"  71  Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.”  These verses show the “mixed multitude” in the day when Jesus was on the earth

                    Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I’m sure that it is not all unbelievers’ who cause all of the trouble in the churches today, and that is even more troubling to me than if it were.  I do not want to be one who causes trouble in the church unless the trouble that I cause is standing up for the Lord Jesus Christ or for His Word, in that case I want to be first in line.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  After receiving some good news yesterday concerning the job in Hawaii I have many things to pray about before we leave to go there.  I want to be praying about things that I need to purchase before leaving that I will be needing for the job, I want to be praying about the ministry that God will give Sandy and I while we are there, I want to pray about our preparation of what we should take and what we should not take there.  I want to pray that Aruba will be well cared for while we are gone, before it is time for her to go with us.  I’m sure that there are many other things that I need to pray about, and so I want to be yoked with the Lord as spoken of in Matthew 11:28-30, for I am surely unable to make the correct decisions without Him guiding me.  “28  "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  29  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.  30  "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’”  “5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.