Have you ever played the game as a youth about gossip? Where you have a long line of people and the 1st person tells the 2nd person something and you see what the end result is once it has passed from person to person over about 20 people or less. It is always some distorted version of the original message. It is also the case in a eye witness situation. Multiple people will have multiple views according to where they are standing at the time of the crime, what was going on in their head and usually what their past experiences have been. All will play a part in their observation.
The same goes with any topic that is brought up in a room of people. There is only 1 subject but there is 3 people in the room, there will be 3 different views.
In this story in Numbers, the Lord told the Israelites that He would bring them out of Egypt and protect them and provide. But fear started taking over. A few started grumbling and soon many of them lost their lives because of their disobedience So do you think the views of a few ended up corrupted the minds of many? Why didn’t they simply listen to the person giving the instructions?
How about for us? We have a book that is straight forward, with instructions of how to live following the Lord. But yet in this world there are a “few bad eggs” that will spoil the whole batch. So I encourage you, to seek out the truths of the bible for yourself. Don’t take someone else’s word as the gospel. And for sure don’t let the grumblers pull you into their crowd. See how the Lord is talking to you today!
Lord I’m guilty! Guilty at times of following the grumblers. But then You remind me of the truth that comes only from You. I pray Lord that I will stop following and start leading others to Your word. I pray that I will be able to encourage them to seek out Your truth for themselves and not look to others around them for guidance. Lord I pray for my family and friends. I know Lord how easy it is to follow the leader and I know that they too struggle at times. Please help us be aware of our short comings and look only to You. Amen!
Rhonda Gould Coaching & Consulting 