Who started the murmuring in the wilderness among the Israelites?
The murmuring in the wilderness was started by the mixed multitude. These were hangers-on who went out with Israel from Egypt, identified as probably Egyptians and foreigners, not Jews themselves. They began the murmuring, and their complaining spirit illustrates the unsaved element that often causes problems among the churches.
Les explains that the mixed multitude were hangers-on, probably a lot of Egyptians and maybe foreigners who had labored in Egypt alongside the Jews, but they were not Jews themselves. They saw a good thing and decided to go along. Les says they were not so much in the spiritual realm but became like parasites. When Israel got out into the wilderness and began to murmur, the mixed multitude were the first ones to start murmuring. Les applies this to churches today: many problems, splits, and complaints trace back to the mixed multitude principle, because the murmurers and complainers are usually the unsaved element in the church, having no real spiritual concern or knowledge.